Deja VoulezVous
by TypicalTypo19
Summary: Sequel to "Out of Reach." Takes place immediately following season 3 finale. W/K.
1. Chapter 1

Will rolled over in the queen-sized bed, turning away from the near-stranger beside him. He rolled his eyes, restless. When he had boarded that plane to Paris the previous day, it had seemed so romantic; the guy he had been admiring from afar had just happened to be at the airport where Will had gone to reunite Grace with Nathan, and he had made a spontaneous decision to buy a ticket and follow him to France. But now, as Will listened to the irregular snores of this new lover, it didn't seem so romantic.

After five more minutes of tossing and turning under the jersey knit sheets, Will figured out what was bothering him. He slid out from the covers and silently crossed to the big picture window on the south wall of the hotel room. He pulled the brocade curtains open ever-so-slightly, just enough to allow a thin sliver of moonlight to fall across the room. The lover stirred in his sleep, then rolled onto his stomach, turning his face away from the moonlight that was streaked across his eyelids. Will didn't even care that he had disrupted him, and got down on his hands and knees to begin the quest for his boxers.

He crawled along the coarse carpeting, hands outstretched, fingers grasping for the thin cotton underpants that had been cast aside in the midst of a lustful encounter just hours before. The two men had sat next to each other on the airplane and made small talk most of the way. Will could tell right off the bat that this guy wasn't nearly as interesting as he had hoped he would be, but he was determined to make the best of it. It seemed too perfect the way things had worked out - he knew he had to find out where this could go. And so, immediately upon disembarking the 757 that had carried them across the ocean, the pair had gotten a hotel room and got right down to business.

_Ah! There they are!_ Will fingered the soft cotton of his boxers and stood, sliding them up his legs. For some reason, the thought of being nude in bed with this guy was weirding him out. But he couldn't figure out if it was because of the guy or because of his own insecurities - if this aversion to nakedness was just one of his many quirks. Will had made a habit of dressing himself as quickly as possible after sex, leaving the ever-changing face of the person he was in bed with confused about his insecurity. He had only made one exception to this rule; there was only one partner that he had felt comfortable enough with to lay and sleep next to the entire night with nothing but the sheets separating their heated bodies.

As Will climbed back into the bed next to this new guy (who he was sure would be gone by tomorrow), he couldn't help but think of her. She had been so different than any of his other partners, besides for the obvious reason that she was a female. He had felt like sharing himself with her, his _whole_ self, and that was something he had never experienced with any other lover. Most of the time they were just there to satisfy his sexual needs, but she was there to love him and be loved by him.

It's not that the sex with this guy hadn't been good, because it most certainly had been. But ever since Will had slept with Karen in the Virgin Islands almost one year ago, no other sexual partner could measure up. Actually, no other _person_ could measure up. Will still hadn't had any kind of relationship since Michael, and after his short-lived but incredible affair with Karen, he was almost positive that he never would, simply for the fact that no one else on the planet could be as attuned to his soul and body as she was.

Since their tryst in the islands, Karen and Will had been on friendly terms. They were certainly much more tolerant of each other than they had been before the trip, and only they knew the real reason for their sudden friendship. They had never spoken of what had happened between them or the letter Will had sent to Karen along with the journal that detailed his innermost feelings for her, but it always hung in the air between them, thick. Not in a bad or awkward way, by any means - but in a reassuring way, a comforting way. There was a new, unspoken trust between them, one built in love and friendship.

No, no one would ever live up to Karen. No one _could_ ever live up to Karen. But that was just a distant memory now, an improbability that had quickly turned to an impossibility now that Karen and Stan's marriage was back on solid ground. The thought elicited a heavy sigh from Will as he fluffed his pillow in aggravation. He supposed he would just have to accept it for what it was, face reality, and be grateful for the time they _had_ spent together. They both knew and understood that they could never be together. But that didn't stop Will from cherishing the sweet memories of their days on the beach, the bonds they had formed, and the intimacy they had shared. He smiled as he finally drifted off to sleep, pretending the warm body next to him was Karen and picturing her angelic face smiling up at him from her desk in Grace's office.


	2. Chapter 2

Stan tiptoed to the side of the bed and leaned down over the form of his sleeping wife. He held his leather dress shoes in one hand, and with the other gently pushed a stray strand of hair off of her peaceful face. He lowered his face next to hers and placed a quiet kiss on her temple, hoping not to wake her. When she didn't stir under his touch, he moved his lips to her ear.

"I love you, Mrs. Walker," he whispered. He straightened back up and turned towards the door. He only got four paces away from the bedside before he heard Karen's groggy voice.

"Where are you going?" she asked him from the bed. He turned back towards her slowly, his face apologetic. "Stan…" Karen whined, seeing the look on his face. She sat up and scooted her back against the headboard. She knew where this was going.

"I'm sorry, darling, but I just got a call from Dapperhill in Hong Kong. One of the mergers fell through and I've got to get out there as soon as possible," Stan explained, sitting down on the bed next to Karen's hips. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and rolled her eyes.

"But we just got here."

"I know, I know," Stan apologized as he bent down to put his shoes on since he was seated. "I'll fly back as soon as I can." He finished the bow of his laces and grabbed one of Karen's hands. He looked up at her with puppy dog eyes as he brought her delicate hand to his lips and kissed the top of it gingerly. "Forgive me."

Karen bit the insider of her lip and turned her palm to cup his face in her hand in response. He reached a hand up and rested it on her wrist, nuzzling into her palm as her thumb caressed his cheek.

"Don't be too long," she quietly requested. He nodded and kissed her hand once more before standing.

"Try to have a good time while I'm gone. You can still enjoy the city. I'll call and have the maximum increased on your platinum card," Stan told her as he grabbed his suit coat off of the back of the plush armchair in the corner of the room. Karen frowned.

"I'd have a lot better time if you were here with me," she stated, pouting. Stan sighed and ignored her statement, moving to the doorway across from the bed.

"Goodbye, Karen," he told her, pulling the door closed as he left.

"Bye…" she mumbled. She stretched her arms above her head and yawned. She was a little lethargic, but was sure she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep now that Stan had woke her up. Was he actually going to leave without saying goodbye to her? Of course he was. She bet he was pretty annoyed that she had woken and demanded an explanation from him. But, she was used to this routine by now. They would go on vacation somewhere and within 48 hours it would turn into a business trip for Stan, and she was left alone.

She was used to being alone, however, and that part didn't really bother her. But she had been rather excited about this particular trip - it was the first one the two of them were taking alone since they had been in the Virgin Islands last year. That had been a good trip, but not because of the time she had spent with Stan. They had gone there after Stan had confessed to having an affair and had hoped to make it up to Karen by promising a long, tropical vacation to talk it out. They did eventually work their problems out, but that was mostly due to the prompting of Will, whom Karen had actually spent most of her time with on the island. It had been a complete accident that he had shown up there, and a complete accident that they had fallen in love while he was there. In the end, though, they had gone their separate ways, and Karen's time with Will had reminded her just how much she loved her husband.

Karen stood from the bed and walked over to the large, sliding glass door that led out to the balcony of the elaborate hotel room. The gauzy white curtains did little to hide the bright sun of the day, and Karen felt it's comforting warmth as she pulled the curtains all the way open. The Eiffel Tower loomed large in front of her, and although it was still early, the streets of Paris were beginning to fill with the daily hustle and bustle of locals and tourists.

The silk of her robe felt cold in her hands as she slowly tied a tight knot around her waist. On the bedside table she found a banana clip from the previous day and twisted it into her hair as she moved into the living room of the penthouse suite. She started a pot of coffee and pulled out a bottle of Bailey's from the mini bar behind the granite counter that separated the small kitchen and the dining room. She twisted the lid off of the bottle and filled a dainty pink mug a quarter of the way full with the alcohol. Moments later, she was stirring in the black coffee and preparing to go sit out on the balcony and take advantage of the lovely morning.

Just then, her cell phone buzzed on the table next to her, catching her attention. She walked over and picked it up, frowning as she realized she had a new text message. She had never been good at the whole texting thing, so whenever the little envelope icon appeared in the corner of the phone display, she immediately became annoyed. She flipped the phone open and tried to remember how to get to her inbox.

_Miss me yet? XO._

Karen rolled her eyes as she read Stan's message. She didn't have anything to say to him and flipped the phone closed, wanting to forget about him and how he had abandoned her for the time being. But suddenly, she was struck with an idea. Before she knew it, the phone was open again, and her thumb was slowly moving across the keypad as she searched for each desired letter.

_Miss you. XOXO._

Options…address book…W…Will…select…

Send.


	3. Chapter 3

Will read the text message over and over. How could something so simple be so powerful?

When his phone had vibrated on the nightstand next to him that morning, he hadn't thought anything of it. He had just assumed it was Grace, maybe wishing him goodnight (because after all, it would have been night in New York), or Jack, giving him some juicy details about his latest sexual conquest. But when he had seen that it was from Karen, his pulse quickened. When he saw what it said, his stomach turned.

Will tapped his foot against the carpeted floor as he listened to the shower running in the bathroom, where his previous night's activity was now preparing himself to leave. He couldn't think of any reason not to respond, and began typing out his reply message to Karen.

_Miss u 2. xo_

_What are you doing? _

_Just woke up. _

_?? Isn't it like 1 a.m. there? _

_What do u mean 'there'? Where r u?_

_Paris for the week. _

Will chuckled in spite of himself after reading this last message, incredulous. She couldn't really be here, could she?

_Ha ha. I wish. ;)_

_What are you talking about? I am. _

Will blanched. She didn't know he was there, of course she didn't. Jack and Grace were the only ones who had known that he had once again spontaneously hopped a plane. He hadn't even thought to tell Karen himself, figuring Grace would at the office. And he had no idea she had been planning a trip here. He guessed she was with Stan, and wondered vaguely if this was another vacation whose only purpose was to fix some problem in their marriage. He wondered if Stan had cheated again.

_I'm here 2. _

Could fate really be this cruel? This would be the second time that he and Karen were brought together accidentally, far from their lives in New York or anyone they knew, tossed into a situation of emotional intimacy and dependency. Except this time would be torture. Will was almost positive she was there with Stan, and there was no way he was going to be able to spend the time with her that he so desired. And even if he would have been able to, this was one temptation that he could not let win over him. Things were good between him and Karen how they were, and he didn't want to ruin that.

Over in her hotel room, Karen paced the length of the sizeable balcony. She couldn't believe what his last text said. He was in Paris? Since when did Will go to Paris? He probably wasn't lying, though. Why would he?

Karen leaned against the wrought-iron railing of the balcony and scanned the city before her. Which hotel was he in? Why was he there? Would she see him? She wanted to. She wanted to spend every day with him, holding his hand and whispering sweet promises into his ear. She shuddered as she thought of the touch of his strong hands on her bare back and hips, his warm lips on her neck.

_No! No, Karen!_ She mentally chastised herself. She was back with Stan and had promised to try and focus 100% on him. She had been doing a pretty good job, too, except for those rare moments of weakness where Will invaded her thoughts. Sometimes it would happen during sex with Stan, when she would close her eyes and only be able to think back to the times Will had made love to her on the island. And sometimes it was when something insignificant happened, triggered by almost nothing at all. A stray memory here, a stolen glance in the office there.

Once, they had ended up together alone in the service elevator to Grace's office and it had gotten stuck for over an hour. It was about four months after their return from the islands, and they were both way beyond tempted as they sat, knees touching, waiting for someone to come help them. They talked; shared a friendly conversation that would have been absolutely normal, if not for the fact that Karen had one hand on Will's upper thigh the entire time. His hand caressed hers, drew small circles over her knuckles.

In the dark of the stalled elevator, they had moved closer to each other slowly. Before they knew it, Karen was stretched out between Will's legs, gently biting his earlobe, teasing it with her tongue. The warmth of his breath tickled her cheek as he whispered sweet nothings to her, his hands roaming beneath her shirt. Karen's mouth moved down his neck, leaving a trail of kisses as she unbuttoned his shirt. He reached down to the hem of her skirt and pulled it up over her hips as she pushed his shirt from his shoulders. Will's hard on throbbed as Karen lowered her face to his stomach, teasing his flesh with her tongue and lips as her hands undid the buckle of his pants. His breathing was heavy in anticipation as she seductively pulled the zipper of his pants down.

But suddenly, before things could go any further, the lights in the elevator flickered on and it lurched upward. Karen laughed as she remembered how she and Will had frantically scrambled to pull themselves back together before emerging in Grace's office. That was the only time, in the whole year, that they had almost given in to each other. Karen couldn't let that happen here, as much as she wanted it.

_Hello? R u there? _

Will's text message brought her out of her thoughts. She still hadn't replied to him.

_Maybe we'll run into each other sometime…_


	4. Chapter 4

"Bye, Chris," Will told his one-night stand, leaving him with a firm handshake as he exited the hotel room. It was more like the ending of a business meeting than of a weekend-long affair to forget. Chris was off to do some bike race across the French countryside, and Will knew they wouldn't meet again. There was simply no motivation to.

As Will stepped into the shower, he figured that he might as well make a plan for the rest of the day. He had hopped the plane at the spur of the moment and had no luggage to speak of. At LaGuardia he had bought an overnight kit so that he at least had the essentials - toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, shampoo, and conditioner.

The water ran down his body in waves, massaging his skin and washing away the unclean feeling he had been left with after his night with Chris. His skin prickled as goose bumps rose while his mind filled with thoughts of Karen. She was here. They were far, far away from New York, from Jack and Grace and everyone who knew them and the lives they lived there. He knew he shouldn't act on this opportunity, but his heart was telling him he couldn't pass it up.

In a fit of nervous energy, Will hurriedly washed the shampoo from his hair, just barely getting out all of the suds before fumbling with the knob of the shower. His hands slipped around on the wet metal, but as soon as he had successfully turned off the water, he jumped out of the shower and ran into the bedroom. He didn't even bother grabbing a towel to wrap around his naked body.

He reached for his cell phone and clumsily found Karen's cell phone number in the address book. It rang twice before he heard her pick up.

"Hi," she answered, knowing it was him.

"Hi," he breathed back. His mind was racing so fast that he didn't even know where to begin. After several seconds of silence, Karen spoke.

"So, are you going to say anything, Wilma? You know this dead air space is valuable time that I can't get back." Her tone was teasing, sarcastic. This was the Karen he knew so well. He smiled as her quip made him remember why he was calling her in the first place.

"I want to see you."

Pause.

"I want to see you too."

"Where?"

"Someplace public."

"Will Stan be with you?"

"No. But honey…I don't trust myself with you."

Karen's sudden admission made Will's head spin. That's all it took for him to know she was feeling exactly what he was feeling, that time had not erased the feelings stirred up a year ago.

Karen spoke again.

"There's a café near my hotel, on Avenue Suffren. Meet me there in half an hour."

"Ok," Will agreed, getting ready to hang up. But before he did, he thought of one last thing he wanted to tell her. "Karen?"

"Yeah?"

"I've missed you."

It was an odd sentiment - they had seen each other at least twice a week for the past year, although they were never alone together, and it had only been a couple of days since Will had last seen her, in Grace's office. But Karen knew exactly what he meant.

"Me too, honey. Me too."

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Thirty-five minutes later, Karen was seated at a small, antiquated table for two at a sidewalk café, just steps from the Eiffel Tower. Despite the fact that it was so close to the hottest tourist spot in Paris, it was a small and quiet place; somewhat off the beaten path with few other customers at 10 o'clock in the morning. It was an overcast day, but Karen had still elected to wear her sunglasses. As she waited for Will, she fidgeted with them nervously, pulling them from her face and using the hem of her sleeve to wipe off fingerprints that weren't really there to begin with.

When she looked up and saw Will standing behind his chair across the table from her, silently observing her, her stomach twisted into knots. She put on a brave face though, and her icy look did not go unnoticed by Will.

"Sorry, I know you like to be the last one to arrive," he told her, semi-sarcastically as he pulled the chair out from the table and sat in it. He was itching to touch her.

"Yeah, well, just make sure it doesn't happen again," she told him, rolling her eyes and reaching for a piece of the bread that was sitting in a basket on the table between them.

"I'll do my best," Will told her, mock-seriously. He grinned at the exasperated look she gave him as she buttered her bread. "I just don't really know my way around Paris."

"Have you ever been here before?" she asked him. She took a bite.

"A couple of times, but a long, long time ago," he explained, reaching for his own share of the baguette. "Grace and I came here once."

Karen nodded.

"I'll give you the grand tour later," she offered. He swallowed.

"Well I don't know when I'm going to have time…I have to catch a plane this afternoon," Will told her. Earlier in the morning - actually, first thing after waking up - he had called the airline to schedule a return flight to New York.

"What? Why?" Karen didn't waste any time showing her distress at his announcement. She had let her guard down.

"Because," Will shrugged, "I came here on a whim and now there's nothing keeping me here…" he told her. His last words were almost a challenge to her. Her posture tensed and she swiftly took her sunglasses off to look into his eyes.

"Will…" she began, but before she could say anything, a waiter appeared at her side, pen and paper in hand, ready to take their order.

"What do you want?" the waiter asked Karen, his French accent thick. She never took her eyes off Will as she smiled and ran her tongue over her bottom lip subtly. She knew exactly what she wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

"Honey, I don't think you should go back today," Karen told Will as they strolled around the perimeter of the Eiffel Tower park. Her arms were crossed in front of her, and she didn't meet his gaze as she waited for his response - she wasn't sure if he wanted to stay as much as she wanted him to. The conversation that had started at the café had been lost in the shuffle of scones and coffee, of talks of past travels and desires to see the world. But Karen knew that Will would have to leave soon, and she didn't want to let that happen.

"Karen, I kind of have to," he told her, his hands in his back pockets as they slowly sauntered past a group of Chinese tourists posing for a picture in front of the tower.

"Why?" she asked him, challenging him with a stare. She wanted one good reason why he couldn't stay there with her for a little while longer.

"Well, for one thing, I have a job I need to get back to," he began. The wind picked up for a moment, and as he looked at her and her hair swirled angelically around her face, he lost his train of thought. "And um…uh….I- I didn't even bring a suitcase with me," he confessed. Karen frowned.

"What? Why not?"

"I…I kind of came here on the spur of the moment," Will admitted, feeling heat rising in his cheeks. He was reluctant to tell her about Chris.

"I see this is becoming a habit of yours, this up-and-leaving thing," Karen teased. "What made you do it this time?"

Will looked at her and scrunched up his face.

"A guy," he sheepishly admitted. Karen's pace slowed and her face became expressionless as this news hit her. Will stopped walking and waited for her to take the step needed to catch back up to him. He sensed her disappointment immediately. "It was nothing really…it was only one night, it was horrible. It wasn't nearly as good as…" he trailed off, realizing that in his enthusiasm to make her feel better about the situation, he had almost crossed the invisible line they had drawn under their affair of the previous year. Karen stopped walking.

"Almost as good as what, honey?" Karen asked him quietly, grabbing his arm and turning him to face her. Will's only responded by looking deep into her questioning eyes. After a couple of seconds, Karen released his arm and they began walking again, turning away from each other in awkward silence.

"Anyways I don't have any clothes here and Grace probably has laundry I need to do," he finished, trying to bring back the light-hearted mood of a minute ago.

"Well Nathan's there with her…and I could take you out shopping! Come on, Will, it would be so much fun!" Karen proposed, a smile lighting up her face as she childishly begged him to stay. She hooked her arm around his and looked up at him with puppy dog eyes. "Please?"

Will considered for a second before sighing and looking down at her with a smile.

"Ok," he agreed. Karen jumped up and down, clapping her hands. "Just for a few more days, though." Karen nodded and reached up to kiss his cheek. His skin tingled where her lips had been.

"Thank you," she whispered, moving her lips from his cheek to his ear as he wrapped her in a quick hug.

"How's Stan going to feel about this?" Will asked as Karen pulled them down onto a park bench.

"You'd have to go to China to find out," Karen muttered, her face suddenly sullen.

"What? Stan's in China? I thought you guys were on vacation," Will questioned, shocked.

"We were," Karen agreed, nodding. "But one thing you should realize about Stanley Walker is that his personal life will always take a backseat to his business, including his wife."

"Karen…I'm sorry," Will consoled her, placing his hand over hers. She half-smiled at him.

"It's ok," she said, "it's nothing I'm not used to. Besides, now I have the time to spend with you." Her half-smile turned into a full smile and she squeezed his hand.

Suddenly, Will flinched and made a face.

"What?" Karen asked, retracting her hand. He laughed and grabbed it back from her.

"No, no…it's starting to rain," he explained. Karen looked around. Sure enough, all of the tourists that had been enjoying the Eiffel Tower had cleared away, and they were left almost alone as the grey sidewalk became speckled with raindrops. Will stood to leave and started to pull Karen up with him, but she didn't budge.

"Where are you going?" she asked him. He slowly sat back down beside her as the rain picked up ever so slightly.

"Don't you want to get out of the rain?"

"Not really," she told him, leaning closer to him. "It's kind of…romantic," she told him, placing a soft kiss on his lips. Will remained frozen as she pulled away from him just a few inches, looking at him expectantly.

"Karen…" he began, but she held a finger to his lips to silence him.

"Will I know we're not supposed to do this…and I know we've spent the last year trying to move on with our lives, but we've been lying to ourselves," Karen told him, speaking quickly and quietly. "I think we deserve to experience this. You make me feel like no other man has ever made me felt, not even Stanley," she paused, searching his eyes. "I want to be with you, Will…and I always get what I want."

Not two seconds after speaking the words, Will attacked her lips with his own. He figured it was like this: they had two choices. One, go on with their lives, pretending they were just friends and retaining some sense of normalcy, or two, follow their hearts and create a blissful chaos in their spheres of existence. They had been trying out choice number one for a year, and neither of them was happy. So there was only one other option.

The rain was falling hard now, not pouring, but definitely more than sprinkling. Karen moved in closer to Will on the bench and held the back of his thigh as he stroked her hair, their lips never parting. Their gestures were sweet and romantic, never erotic, and they continued kissing like that, in the rain, for the rest of the morning.


	6. Chapter 6

"Do these make my butt look big?" Will asked, studying the indigo jeans hugging his hips in the large, three-panel mirror. Karen rolled her eyes.

"You are _such _a woman," she sighed. She picked up another pair of jeans from the pile he had picked out that was stacked on the chair next to her and threw it to him. "Here, try these."

Will disappeared back into the dressing room and pulled the jeans on. They had been shopping all afternoon, and he was getting tired. Outside, in the common area of the fitting rooms, Karen sat next to five large shopping bags. She had made good on her word to take him shopping, and actually paid for everything he purchased. For the past couple of hours they had been having fun going in and out of every store they could find; everything from obscure boutiques to luxury stores like Louis Vuitton and even the Gap.

After zipping his fly, Will went back out in front of the large mirror to study this new pair. As soon as she saw him, Karen's eyes lit up.

"Honey, those are amazing!" she encouraged. It was true, this pair was doing wonders for Will's already amazing body.

"Yeah, these are pretty great, aren't they?" Will asked in amazement, studying himself in the mirror.

"Mmhmm," Karen agreed, standing and walking over to him. She placed both hands on his butt and pulled him close to her. "These look so good _on_ that I can't wait to get them _off_," she told him mischievously. He wiggled his eyebrows at her and kissed her. Karen grabbed his hands in her own as their kiss continued, and suddenly Will separated their lips just long enough to pull her into the fitting room.

Karen giggled like a teenager as he kicked the door closed behind them as he backed her against the wall, his tongue now massaging hers inside her mouth. Her hands were wrapped tightly around his neck as he caressed the soft skin of her stomach and lower back.

Just then, from inside the back pocket of his own jeans crumpled in the corner of the small room, Will's cell phone started ringing.

"Ignore it," Karen commanded quietly, turning his face away from his ringing phone and back to her lips. When she had his attention once again, she pushed him down onto the old-fashioned parlor chair that was sitting opposite the mirror and straddled him. She rolled her head back as he began to kiss her neck, slowly working his way down to her cleavage. She looked back down at him and bit her lip seductively as she reached her hands down and undid the buttons of his pants. Will was extremely turned on by the thought of having sex in such a public place. From down the hallway, they heard the door of another fitting room clank shut. Karen put a finger to her lips, signaling Will to be quiet as she scooted her hips off of his lap and knelt on the floor, spreading his legs. He reached down and ran a hand through her hair, barely able to contain his excitement.

Karen almost had the jeans pulled all the way down Will's body when his phone started ringing again. She let it get half way through his ringtone song before ceasing her motions and sighing.

"Answer it," she conceded, sitting back on her feet. Will frowned in apology and disappointment and stood up to get his phone.

"Hello?" he answered, after digging it out of his jeans. This wasn't a number he recognized.

"Oh, hi!...yeah, I am! How did you know?...oh my God - that's incredible! Congratulations!...of course, I'd love to! Just text me the address…tomorrow night?" Will glanced at Karen, who was now seated on the chair he had previously occupied. "Do you mind if I bring someone?" Karen looked up at him now, curious as to who he was talking to and what it was she had just been invited to. "Great, I can't wait to meet her! See you tomorrow."

Will closed his phone and looked at Karen, her eyebrows raised as she waited for an explanation.

"That was my best friend from high school, Claire," he told her, taking the jeans off the rest of the way so he could put his old ones back on.

"And?" Karen pushed.

"Well, she lives here…I guess she called the apartment earlier looking for me and Grace told her I was here. She just had a baby and wants me to come meet her tomorrow night!" Will explained excitedly. Suddenly it clicked with Karen who he was talking about.

"_Oh_ - this is the woman that wanted you to be the sperm donor that Grace was so mad about!"

"Yeah, that's her," Will confirmed, doing up his buckle. "I guess she found someone else to father her child," he shrugged. "Anyways, I'm going over to her place for dinner tomorrow night," he began, stepping closer to Karen to wrap his arms around her waist. He looked down into her eyes. "And you're coming with me!"

Karen considered for a moment before smiling up at him.

"Ok! Sounds fun," she agreed. He released her and went to collect the pairs of jeans he had deemed worthy so that Karen could pay for them.

"So I guess we should stop at a baby store somewhere and get a gift, right?" he asked her. Karen fidgeted.

"I guess so," she agreed. She didn't know much about babies. "Here honey, why don't I take those," she suggested, reaching for his new jeans, "and you go put the other ones back. I'll meet you at the register." Will agreed and left the dressing rooms to put back his large stack of denim. Karen sighed as she walked to the front of the store to pay. Amazingly, she hadn't had to deal with any baby stuff since her miscarriage, and she didn't know how she was going to react when she met this new baby tomorrow night. In any case, she was glad she would be doing it with Will.


	7. Chapter 7

Karen ran her hand lightly along the pink tulle of the little dress, all fluffy and girly and princess-y. She couldn't believe how miniscule some these things were; were babies really that small? Her index finger traced the rhinestones of the pink hart glued a few centimeters above the hemline of the tiny frock.

"Karen? We're looking for newborn stuff, it's over here." Karen heard Will's voice but didn't see him until she whirled around and spotted him at the back of the chic baby store.

"Well what's the difference?" she asked, indifferent. "It's all so small."

"Karen, babies do a lot of growing, you know," Will told her, rolling his eyes as she joined him in front of a shelf of pink and yellow onesies. "The size difference between a newborn and a nine-month old is enormous."

"Yeah, well, I don't see anything enormous in here," she responded. Will took a step back from the stack he was digging through and looked at her.

"You really don't know anything about babies, do you?" His voice was honest and frank, not mocking or condescending in any way. Karen just shrugged and turned away from him, pretending to eye the decadent bonnets hanging on a display in front of her.

The truth was, she really _didn't_ know anything about babies. Mason and Olivia were older by the time she had married Stan, and none of the few friends she had were parents. Or if they were, Karen certainly had not been a part of their children's infancy.

"What are you going to do when you have one of your own?" Will asked, turning back to the stack of pink garments. He had asked the question completely innocently, but it made Karen very uncomfortable. She turned back to him.

"When was it established that I'm going to have a baby?" she asked him. He pulled the size he was looking for out of the stack and faced her squarely.

"Well you said last year that you still wanted a baby, after…you know," Will's voice trailed off. Karen didn't say anything to address the issue of her miscarriage, which only he and Stan knew about, but let him continue. "And I thought things were ok now with you and Stan, so I figured you would be trying."

Karen nodded and absentmindedly took the tiny shirt from his hand.

"We are trying," she admitted, "But I don't think it's going to happen again."

Will immediately sensed the disappointment in her voice, although he could tell she was trying very hard to hide it on her face. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder and didn't say anything, letting his gesture do the comforting. Had they not been standing in the middle of a rather large and moderately crowded retail store, he would have done much more than that. He was also a little put off by the thought of what that meant; she and Stan were sleeping together again. He knew he shouldn't be surprised by this, he had been with Karen sexually, and who could blame Stan for wanting to take full advantage of their marital bed. And after all, he had been the one to remind Karen of how much she loved her husband. But still, somewhere dangerously close the surface of his psyche, Will was jealous.

"It will happen when it's meant to," he reassured her. She looked deep into his eyes.

"What if it's not meant to, Will?" her voice was soft, almost a whisper. "What if something's wrong with me? I already lost one…"

Will moved the hand that had been on her shoulder up to her face and with his thumb, gently wiped away the single tear that had just made an escape from her tearduct.

"Karen, I'm sorry…I wasn't even thinking about how hard this would be for you," Will apologized as she took a step closer to him and wrapped an arm around his waist, turning them both back towards the shelves of baby clothes and away from any curious faces of customers around them.

"No, no, I'm fine," she assured him, shaking her head slightly. "It happened a long time ago, but you know, it's just something you have to deal with for awhile." He squeezed his arm that was wrapped around her shoulder.

"How old is your daughter?" the thick British accent caught them off guard, and they quickly broke their stance to look at the sales associate who had approached them from behind, in an innocent attempt to sell them something. Karen felt herself blush as the meaning of his words sank in.

"Oh, uh…" Will sputtered, also caught off guard by this assumption that he and Karen were a couple shopping for their child.

"No, we're not -" Karen added. The sales associate looked back and forth between their embarrassed faces, confused.

"We're shopping for a gift," Will finally got out, reclaiming his cool. "She's six weeks."

"Ah! Well then let me show you our newest line of newborn sleepers," the associate piped up, guiding them towards another display in the corner of the room. Karen, still slightly embarrassed and amused at the thought of her and Will being parents, had yet to meet Will's gaze that was hot on her face.

But a subtle, unexplained happiness was overtaking Will as he studied Karen's rosy cheeks, the delicacy with which her hand was fidgeting with her hair. He wondered if, in some parallel universe, maybe they did have a child together. A beautiful little girl, perhaps, with Karen's soft, white skin and his heart-shaped face. Or maybe a little boy, with Karen's stubborn streak but Will's desire to help people.

He smiled as Karen looked up at him while he took her hand, guiding her to his side as the salesman blathered on about the newest trend in infant apparel.


	8. Chapter 8

"So how long is Stan going to be gone for?" Will asked, then picked a strawberry from the white and gold porcelain plate on the cart next to him.

"I don't know," Karen shrugged. "Could be three days, could be three weeks." She too carefully scanned the plates of room service food before ultimately making the same decision as Will and biting into a large, ripe strawberry.

Will was stretched out along the diagonal of the king-sized bed on his stomach, his head at the lower right corner. Karen sat in a plush white arm chair catty-corner from him, the golden hotel room service cart situated between them. Karen had changed out of her designer outfit and into a white silk robe, but Will was still in his dark wash jeans and fitted sweater he had been wearing all day. It was going on midnight, but the two of them were too keyed up after their fun day of shopping together to sleep, so they had ordered fruit, dessert and champagne to celebrate their chance encounter in the city of love.

"Does this happen a lot?" Will asked Karen, referring to her husband's absence. She nodded.

"Yeah, he's not around very much," Karen admitted. She grabbed two champagne flutes off the cart and reached across to hand one to Will. He took it from her and studied her face carefully as he sat up and scooted himself to the edge of the bed. He couldn't tell if she was upset about Stan's negligence or grateful for it. But, she didn't offer up anything more about it, so he decided not to press the issue. "Tell me about your lover boy," she teased, handing him the bottle of pink champagne she had just pulled from the bucket of ice sitting at one end of the tray. "What happened with that?"

"Well," Will began, as he began peeling off the gold seal from the top of the bottle, "I see him around a lot in New York and thought he was cute." The words almost caught Karen off guard before she reminded herself of Will's attraction to men. It was funny, the way she never saw him as a gay man or a straight man when they were alone, just as a man. He continued. "So we ran into each other at the airport when Grace was trying to escape Nathan, he told me he was coming here, and bada-bing," Will paused as he popped the top off of the champagne bottle and Karen smiled. "Here I am."

"Very romantic," Karen purred as she leaned forward to allow him to fill her glass.

"That's what I thought, at first," he told her, now filling his own flute. "But it wasn't. There was just no connection, you know?" Karen sat back in her chair and curled her legs underneath her. "It was purely physical."

"Well, I think a toast is in order," Karen proposed. "To your failed romance and my husband abandoning me," she toasted, lifting her glass to his. The crystal clinked and she put the flute to her lips to sip the sweet champagne. Will paused before he did, though, adding "and to fate."

They drank their champagne, not saying much, but observing the moonlight streaking through the open curtains, adding a small amount of light to the dim room. Karen noted how beautiful Will's olive skin looked against the cream colored silk sheets of the large bed. When he had finished his champagne, Will put the empty glass back onto the tray between them and got up from the bed. He knelt on the floor next to Karen in her chair, and took her slightly surprised face in his hands.

Karen scooted to the edge of the chair and put her champagne down on the tray, then turned towards Will. One of his hands stroked her hair and the other rested on her lap. After breathing in her scent and taking a mental photograph of her beauty in this gorgeous hotel suite, Will leaned up and found her lips with his. Their kiss was sweet and soft, and her mouth tasted like champagne.

"I guess I should get going," Will whispered, looking down at their hands in her lap. Karen took his chin in her hand and tilted his face up to look at her.

"Why don't you stay here tonight?" she asked him, eyeing his lips.

"Are you sure?" he questioned her, knowing her judgment was likely clouded right now by this current temptation. She didn't say anything, just kissed him deeply. He took that as a resounding 'yes.'

Will wrapped his arms around Karen and lifted her as he stood. He carried her the few steps to the bed, where he laid her down on her back and continued to kiss her. She propped herself up on her elbows and watched him, excited, as he stood from the bed and pulled his shirt off to reveal his chiseled pecks and abs. Not able to help herself, Karen stood up on her knees on the edge of the bed and pulled him close to her, kissing him as she ran her hands over his torso and back.

As she did this, Will reached between them and untied Karen's robe. It fell open to reveal her black lace bra and thong, and he took the opportunity to lay her back onto the bed slowly as he began to kiss down the length of her body.

Karen's head was spinning. This was the first time in a year that she and Will were together like this with no one around, no one to stop them. Her sexual desire for him was strengthened with the satisfaction of finally being able to have him once again after a long hiatus. Their foreplay was sensual and slow, however, both of them wanting to cherish the moment and explore each other's bodies after a long time apart.

When Will was nearly finished meticulously kissing and experiencing every part of Karen's body, she sat them up. As their tongues wrestled in their mouths, she positioned herself so that she was straddling him as he sat Indian style on the bed. She could feel his member through his jeans against her inner thigh, and as she strengthened the intensity of their kiss, reached down and unzipped his jeans. Her hips moved over his in a circular motion as she realished the friction of his body and the denim over it against her center.

Will couldn't take this teasing any longer and pulled himself out of his boxers, finding Karen's hand and wrapping it around him as he slipped a few fingers into her. After several minutes of mutual ministrations, Karen pushed him down onto the bed and squeezed her legs tightly around his. Then, just as she reached down to remove her wet thong, the phone rang.

"Ignore it," Will suggested as she broke their kiss to look up in the direction of the phone on the bedside table. This was the second time today that they were interrupted by a ringing phone.

"I can't," she sighed, as she rolled off of him. "It's probably Stan. What's he going to think if I don't answer the hotel phone in the middle of the night?" She scooted to the other side of the bed and reached for the phone.

"Hello?"

Will sighed and scooted himself up the headboard, resting his back against it and pulling his jeans back up. He felt his sexual urge diminish in the ruined moment.

"Yeah, honey. I love you too," as Karen said the words, she looked over at Will. Her face was expressionless and her voice lacked emotion. Her eyes travelled to his groin, and she frowned as she hung up the phone.

"Well, I guess that kind of killed the moment," she acknowledged.

"Yeah, kind of," Will agreed. He reached for her. "It wouldn't take much to get it back though."

"I don't know, Will," Karen said, snuggling up to him and pulling her robe closed around her. "Maybe we shouldn't do this here. I…I'm not sure I feel right about it."

Will nodded and kissed her head.

"You're right - this isn't right," he agreed. He stood and walked over to where his shirt was laying, abandoned on the floor. "I'll tell you what," he began, as he pulled it over his head, "how about tomorrow after we go to Claire's you come back to _my_ hotel room?" He slipped into his shoes. Karen smiled.

"That sounds nice."

"Ok," Will told her, sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. "I'll see you tomorrow." He kissed her one last time before grabbing his shopping bags and leaving to catch a cab, leaving her alone for the night in the big bed, dreaming about what would have happened between them had Stan not called. She couldn't wait for tomorrow.


	9. Chapter 9

"Do you have any kids, Karen?" Claire asked. She and Will were seated next to each other on the over-stuffed purple loveseat in the living room of her Paris apartment. Karen was seated across from them in a rocking chair, holding Claire's new baby gently.

"What?" Karen asked, looking up from the baby's face, which Karen had been studying intently as her tiny hand had wrapped around Karen's index finger. "Oh…uh, no. Well, I have two step kids."

"But none of your own?" Claire asked, taking a sip of red wine. Karen looked back down at the precious infant in her arms and shook her head. Claire didn't say anything, just raised her eyebrows in surprise and looked at Will. He folded his arms across his chest and pointedly avoided her gaze. It was so obvious what was going through all of their heads; Karen was a natural with the baby, how could she not have one of her own?

After an uncomfortable period of silence, Will broke the tension.

"So how'd you pick her name?" he asked, turning towards Claire. Across from them, Karen smiled at the baby as she cooed and yawned.

"Well," Claire began, folding her legs up next to her on the couch, "Anna is for Anna Wintour -"

"Wow, you really do love your work…" Will joked. Karen looked at him, puzzled. "Claire works for _Vogue_," he explained. Karen nodded in understanding and turned her attention back to baby Anna. Claire rolled her eyes at Will's comment.

"-and Marguerite after my grandmother," she finished. Will nodded as Claire looked down at her watch.

"I'm sorry, Karen," Claire began, standing from the couch and crossing to Karen to take the baby from her arms. "But I've got to put her down for the night."

Karen stood quickly but didn't release the baby.

"Do you mind if I…?" she asked, cradling Anna and motioning towards the hallway that she guessed would lead to the nursery with a nod of her head. Claire smiled.

"Not at all," she told her, "it's the second door on the left."

As soon as Karen disappeared into the hallway and they heard the nursery door click shut, Claire motioned for Will to join her in the kitchen. He stood up and followed her, and leaned against the counter once they were in the kitchen as Claire pulled three plates from the cabinets above him.

"Karen is great with Anna," Claire told him, setting the plates on the counter next to the oven. Will turned to the cabinet above him to search for clean wine glasses.

"I know," he agreed. He smiled to himself as he remembered the lovely scene of Karen, vulnerable and maternal, cuddling the adorable baby.

"I'm surprised she doesn't have any kids of her own," Claire announced, cutting into the chicken she had just pulled from the oven. "Does she not want any?"

"Um, you know, I don't really know," Will lied. For some reason, he was reluctant to discuss this with Claire. Perhaps it was because of the emotion welling up in his throat as he thought about Karen's situation; she would clearly make a great mother, she wanted a baby, but it just wasn't happening for her. He saw the pain on her face when she told Claire she didn't have kids of her own. He hated seeing that look in her eyes. Will quickly cleared his throat and changed the subject.

"But things are working out well for you and Anna?" he asked Claire, walking the short distance to the small table and placing a wine glass at each place setting. "You're happy?"

"Yeah, absolutely!" Claire replied. She took the oven mitts off and placed them on the counter next to her. She picked up one of the plates and handed it to Will, who put it on the table, before she grabbed the other two and joined him next to the table. "You know, it's not exactly ideal that she doesn't have a father figure, but I'm hopeful that I'll meet someone soon." She took a seat and motioned for Will to do the same. "I actually have a date tomorrow night!"

"God, that's great, Claire," Will sighed happily, placing his hand on top of his friend's. She met his smile. "I'm a little bit jealous, actually."

"This will happen for you someday," Claire reassured him. "You'd be a great dad, Will." He shrugged. "When the right opportunity presents itself, you'll know."

Will suddenly felt guilty, realizing that his jealousy was a little unjustified. He _could_ have had this - and he could have had it with Claire, if he hadn't rejected her offer to father this baby a year ago. He frowned and looked into her eyes, suddenly serious.

"Claire, I don't know if I ever got to fully express to you how sorry I am that I couldn't do this for you," he told her. "It was just, Grace freaked out, and it all happened so fast…" Claire raised a hand to silence him.

"Will, its ok," she told him. There was no trace of resentment or disappointment in her voice. "I understand. And look, things worked out pretty well anyway!" she assured him, nodding towards a picture of Anna that was stuck to the fridge behind him. He turned to look at it as she continued to speak. "You'll know when you find the right person to make a child with, Will. It's a special thing and something you will share with them for the rest of your life. It has to be someone who you know will always be around and who wants it just as much as you do. I just wasn't that person last year."

"But what about you?" Will countered, cautiously. "You didn't ever find that right person, you used a sperm donor."

"That's true," Claire agreed. "But I was at the stage in my life where I was ready for a baby, and I couldn't keep waiting around for Mr. Right. My biological clock was ticking, but you don't have a biological clock. You can keep searching for as long as it takes."

Will sat back in his chair and nodded, his mind distant. He knew he did want to be a dad, someday. He wasn't sure he was ready for a baby now, but he was confident he would know when that time came. Finding a mother for his child, though, that was a different story. He and Grace had always talked about doing it together, but she was with Nathan now, and even if that didn't work out, was sure to find someone wonderful.

"Karen, though," Claire began, standing to go back towards the kitchen and open another bottle of wine, "that's a different story. I don't know how old she is, but I'm guessing she's hearing her clock ticking pretty loudly. I hope for her sake she listens to it."


	10. Chapter 10

Karen rested her forearms on the railing of the pale pink crib, leaning over to get a good look at the baby, who was now sleeping soundly below her. She studied Anna's pouty pink mouth, soft white eyelids, and the wispy blonde waves of hair on the top of her little head. Suddenly, it dawned on Karen why people regarded babies as such miracles. It really was quite miraculous that this little person, who so much resembled an inanimate baby doll, would one day be a full-grown person with a life and a personality all her own. Karen wondered what she would look like when she was 20, and what she would decide to do with her life. Claire was lucky that she would get to be a part of all that, to be able to witness firsthand Anna growing and changing and becoming a woman.

"Karen?" Will called, speaking her name gently as he entered the nursery behind her. As soon as she heard him, Karen frantically wiped away the single tear that had made its way down her cheek to her lips. It tasted salty.

"Everything ok in here?" Will whispered, joining Karen at the crib. "Dinner's been ready for 10 minutes. It's going to get cold."

"Yeah, I-I'm coming," Karen assured him softly, looking up to meet his gaze. She gave him a feeble smile. "She's beautiful, isn't she?"

"She sure is," Will agreed, wrapping an arm around Karen's shoulders. He could sense her disappointment in the words. "Are you ok?"

Karen looked back down at Anna.

"I really want this Will," she confessed, sighing.

"I know," he told her, pulling her into an embrace. Feeling his strength and comfort suddenly surrounding her, Karen let down her barriers and sobbed into his shoulders. "I know," he repeated, kissing her hair. "You know you have other options though, Kare. You could always adopt or try surrogacy."

Karen sniffled and buried her face into Will's neck as her sobs slowed.

"Yeah, maybe," she croaked out. She knew there were other ways to get a baby, but she couldn't shake the overwhelming feeling of wanting her own. She wanted to carry the baby full term, wanted to experience the intimacy of childbirth, wanted to feel like she was looking at herself as her child grew into an adult. She kissed Will's neck and earlobe before pulling away from him and wiping the tears from her face. He handed her a Kleenex off of the changing table next to them.

"Listen, let's not talk about this anymore," Karen instructed. "I think this is a chapter I'd like to close for now."

"Sure," Will agreed. "But just for the record," he added, placing his hand on top of hers that was wrapped around the doorknob, "I think you'd make a great mom."

Karen smiled at him before pulling the door open and leading them back into the kitchen.

Claire stood and smiled brightly at them as Will and Karen took their places at the table.

"Sorry about that," Karen told her, folding her napkin onto her lap, "I just haven't spent a lot of time with newborns…I got a little carried away."

"Oh, that's ok," Claire laughed. Will took a bite of his dinner. "She is pretty mesmerizing."

"She sure is," Karen agreed, taking a sip of her wine.

"So Karen, forgive me if this is awkward, but I've never heard Will talk about you," Claire confessed as they all enjoyed the chicken she had prepared. Will stopped chewing. "How do you two know each other?" His eyes darted back and forth between the two women as he waited for Karen to answer. For some reason, he had some anxiety about what she would say. Maybe it was just his general uneasiness with the fact that they had been sneaking around.

"Oh, well I work for Grace, actually," Karen answered, not missing a beat. Will resumed his chewing.

"Did you come to Paris together?" Claire asked, confused about why Will would be travelling with his best friend's assistant.

"No, no…it was actually just a big coincidence that we were both here," Karen answered, grinning. She looked at Will. "Right?"

"Right," he affirmed, nodding vigorously. "I um…uh, I also have been representing Karen's husband for about a year and a half, so I called him about something and he told me they were here."

"But then my husband, Stan, had to fly to Hong Kong on business," Karen picked up the story, "so Will has been…keeping me company for the past couple of days."

Claire nodded slowly in understanding, but still felt like something weird was going on. She couldn't put her finger on what, but she definitely took notice of the fact that Karen and Will were now locked into a deep gaze across the table from each other. As Karen set down her wine glass on the table in front of Claire, Claire noticed that she wasn't wearing a wedding ring despite the fact that she had just told her she was married. Claire ran through a couple of possible scenarios in her head, but none of them seemed to make sense so she just shrugged it off, and the three of them enjoyed the rest of their dinner making conversation about Will in high school and all of the great spots in Paris for Karen to show Will the next day.


	11. Chapter 11

When sex was the plan, things were different. When it hung there, heavy in the air between them, it was suddenly awkward, forced. The expectations were high, and sure, they had both been waiting for this moment all day, but now that it had finally arrived, it was static.

Neither of them moved for at least two minutes, which to them felt more like two hours. Once they had arrived back at Will's hotel room, Karen had made a b-line for the bed, throwing off her coat and dumping it, along with her purse and shoes, onto the recliner next to the door. Will had closed the door behind him and turned seductively, pressing his back against it as he watched Karen sit on the edge of the bed and unbutton the top few buttons of her blouse. She was now leaned back on her hands, waiting for him to make the first move.

But Will just stood there, his hand on the doorknob behind him, head leaned back against the wooden door, observing Karen and thinking about their night. She bit her lip and shifted her eyes down as the weirdness of the situation washed over them.

Suddenly, Will sighed and slumped his shoulders.

"What are we doing?" His voice was full of resignation, and as soon as he said the words, Karen exhaled and allowed herself to slide from the bed so that she was seated on the floor, her back resting against it.

"I know," she agreed. "It all feels too calculated."

Will nodded and he too slid to the floor, resting his back against the door. He and Karen were now directly across from each other, about six feet apart, mirroring each other's posture. "Why did this have to happen?" he mumbled, almost rhetorically. Karen frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"This…us," he explained, motioning between the two of them. "How did we allow ourselves to get into this? Under such shitty circumstances?" Will explained. Karen grunted in understanding and reached her left hand up to rub her forehead. It was then that Will noticed she wasn't wearing her wedding ring. He crawled across the floor to sit next to her as he grabbed her hand and held it up, examining it.

"Again?" he asked her. Karen followed his gaze to her bare ring finger.

"I can't make myself wear it when I'm with you," she whispered, not looking at him.

"Why not?"

Karen blew back a string of hair that was dangling in front of her face before answering. When it just flopped right back across her eye, she tried again in vain. After her second attempt, Will used his free hand to brush it back for her. His hand lingered on her cheek, and she turned her head ever-so-slightly to look at him. When she met his gaze, just a few inches away from her, his eyes shifted to her lips. Suddenly, Karen squirmed, pushing his hand away from her face and scooting herself a few inches away from him.

"God, Will, I can't do this," she confessed, frowning. She stood up but he caught her wrist. She turned sharply and stared down at his deep green eyes looking back up at her.

"So you feel guilty? That's why you're not wearing your wedding ring?" he asked her.

"No, that's not it at all," she replied. "When I'm with you…I forget about Stanley," she confessed, "I _want_ to forget about him."

Upon hearing the words, Will couldn't help himself. He violently pulled her back down next to him, but instead of kissing her as he so badly longed to do, he wrapped her in a tight hug. This wasn't about sex anymore.

"Then forget," he whispered in her ear. Her body was limp in his arms. As much as Karen knew she should try to resist Will, she just couldn't.

"But how do I know, Will?" she asked him, not moving from his arms.

"How do you know what?"

"That you won't be just like him," tears stung her eyes as she said the words. Why could she never seem to control her emotions around him? Will put both hands on her shoulders and held her at arm's length as he studied her face intently.

"Like Stan?" he questioned gently. She nodded.

"How do I know that you won't ever leave me?" she whispered. Will's heart melted. As much as she could pretend that she was OK with Stan's neglect, and as much as she tried to tell herself and the world that their marriage was fine, it truly wasn't. It never had been, and probably never would be. Will was surprised when he felt a tear escape his own eye. Her pain affected him more than he could ever imagine, and all he wanted to do was make it disappear. She deserved so much better.

"Because I promise you that I won't," he told her. They were both silently weeping now, sharing an emotional connection that neither of them had ever experienced. Their words were few, but each one was loaded with so much meaning that they both understood the depth of their conversation.

"Those are just words, Will," Karen countered, although she wanted to believe everything he was telling her. But she had heard it all before, if not from Stan than from one of her past lovers or husbands. And each time she had been disappointed and hurt. "What could you possibly say to me to make me believe that?"

Will swallowed, and dropped his hands from Karen's shoulders to take her hands in his. He held their joined hands up between them, like a bridge being built between their hearts.

"I love you," he whispered. Her eyes filled with surprise and more tears as he pulled her closer to him. "I love you and I know I shouldn't, I-I know I'm not supposed to and that this-this just complicates things so much more," Will stuttered, "but I do, Karen. More than I ever thought I could." He released one of her hands so that he could wipe away the tears streaming from her eyes.

"I love you too," was all she could manage to squeak out before his lips were on hers, the heat between them emanating from a place within them that had never before been awakened. Karen had said the words many times before, but she understood now what it felt like to truly mean them. Their collective tears mixed with the heat of their breath as Will wrapped his arms around Karen and stood, pulling them onto the bed behind them.


	12. Chapter 12

"Say it again," Will pleaded, breathlessly. Karen rolled her head forward to look down at him. A smile played on her lips as she increased the speed of her thrusts on top of him. Her hands were entwined with his as he held her hips and guided their circular motion over his pelvis. She moved her hands, fingers still laced with his, up to rest on the pillow on either side of his face. She had him pinned and used this new position to get more leverage to the movements of where their bodies were joined.

"I love you," she whispered, her face inches from his. Will craned his neck up to kiss her deeply before rolling them over so that he was on top.

Two minutes later, and they were yelling out each other's names in a fit of pleasure and moans. Will didn't move from his position between Karen's legs as they laid still for a couple of minutes and caught their breath. He buried his face in her hair as Karen wrapped her arms up around his shoulder blades, holding him close and kissing the sweat from the crook of his neck.

"Is this a dream?" Will asked as he rolled off of her. She laced her fingers with his once again and turned to face him.

"I hope not."

With his free hand, Will reached over and pushed back a strand of sweaty hair off of Karen's face. His hand lingered on her cheek as he relished the feeling of her warm skin.

"Remember how we used to tell each other our secrets?" Will asked, sliding his hand down from her face to her waist to pull her closer to him. She snuggled into his arms.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to keep any secrets from you," he told her. His voice was so honest that she could have cried. Stan never told her things like that, never thought about the fact that it was the little things like this that rounded out the feelings of attraction between two people.

"I don't want to keep anything from you either, Will," she told him. "You know, I think Stan has a lot of secrets."

"Like what?"

"I don't know, exactly…he just always seems so distant," Karen explained, drawing invisible hearts across Will's chest with her index finger. "We never do this- we never just enjoy each other's company and talk."

"Do you think he's still cheating on you?"

"Probably."

"I don't get it," Will said, "I thought you guys worked things out."

"If by 'worked things out' you mean agreed to pretend nothing had happened, then yes, we worked things out."

"Well no wonder you guys are still having problems," Will told her, looking down at her face on his chest. "You have to _talk_ about these things to get them cleared up."

"Don't tell _me_ that," Karen replied. "By the time we came back from the villa last year, Stan was so tired of - what did he say? 'Playing games' with me that all he wanted to do was have make up sex and promise it wouldn't happen again."

"And you were ok with that?"

"Well, then he started talking about trying for a baby again and…I don't know, I guess I was just glad to have things back the way they were."

Will leaned down and kissed her lips.

"But isn't this so much better?"

Karen smiled and rolled on top of him, kissing again.

"Mmmm it is," she purred.

Will shot a glance at the digital clock on the bedside table. It was 2:14 a.m. He wrapped his arms around Karen's waist and flipped them over so that he was now on top of her, staring down into her laughing eyes.

"I love you," he told her again, circling her nose with his. "Why would Stan ever want to leave someone as amazing as you?"

Karen scoffed and rolled her eyes. Will chuckled and leaned his face down to nibble her ear. Karen sighed and closed her eyes, surrendering to the moment.

As Will continued kissing and murmuring into the soft skin behind Karen's ear, she extended her arm to grab a new condom off of the nightstand. As she guided it into his hand, Will moved his lips down her jaw, her neck, her shoulder. She reached down and tangled her fingers in his hair, her breathing becoming heavier.

Without warning, Stan's face flashed through her mind. She wondered how much more time she would have like this with Will. She knew it wouldn't be much longer, so she decided to close her eyes and dive right in. She had never felt more alive than she did at this moment, and she was going to do all in her power to make it last.


	13. Chapter 13

Karen toweled off her wet hair before swiping her hand across the foggy mirror. Once her reflection was visible through the arched streak, she leaned forward to examine her face. With her finger, she traced the frown lines between her eyebrows that were becoming more and more pronounced with each year that went by. Fine lines were starting to appear at the corners of her eyes and around the edges of her mouth, probably only noticeable to her, but disheartening nonetheless. Karen sighed. She was getting older.

She wrapped the towel around her head, leaving the rest of her naked body exposed, and walked back into the bedroom of her suite. Although the signs were prominent that her body was aging, mentally she felt younger than she had in years. Being with Will and away from the stress of her relationship with Stan had erased years of care and worry from her heart, even if it had only been three days. Maybe it was the fact that Will was a few years younger than her. Or maybe it was the fact that he made her feel like a teenager whenever they were together. She pondered this as she pulled on her thong, and then clasped her bra behind her.

Karen turned towards the folding doors of the closet, pulling them open to reveal two weeks' worth of her expensive, designer clothing.

Growing older couldn't be that bad, right? People were nicer to you. Everyone paid attention to you a little more, trying to get a piece of that wisdom you were now expected to possess. And she was only 42; it wasn't like she was ready for a nursing home. Her skin may have been losing its elasticity, but there was nothing else her age was restricting her from doing. Well, there was one thing.

She pulled her hand off of the Prada sweater she had been fingering and went to the chaise lounge across the room. She pulled her purse from where it had been carelessly strewn after her return that morning from Will's hotel, and unzipped it hurriedly. As her fingers fumbled around in her handbag, the towel that was wrapped around her hair began to slowly untwist itself. Impatient, she shook her head and let the towel fall to the floor, allowing herself to concentrate fully on the item in her bag she was looking for.

"Ah!" she cried, as her fingers found the thin business card she had been searching for. She pulled it out, dropping the purse back onto the cushions. Karen grabbed the towel that had fallen on the floor and draped it over her lap as she sat on the bed to examine the card.

_Smith & Greydon Family Clinic_

_414 W. 12__th__ St., New York, New York_

_555.6873_

She frowned and studied the elegant font etched onto the cream-colored card. Her fingers traced its rectangular shape, pressing into each corner to feel its sharp pressure.

After several minutes of thinking, Karen scooted herself to the opposite side of the bed and picked up the phone. She dialed the numbers slowly and listened to the trilling of the rings on the other end, working to control her breathing.

"Hello, this is Karen Walker," she announced, after the receptionist picked up. "I was in a few weeks ago…yes, I had discussed having some of my eggs frozen with Dr. Greydon…I um - I would like to, uh, go ahead and set up an appointment to have the procedure done."

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Karen wrapped her arm around Will's as they strolled down the city street, taking licks off of their ice cream cones. It wasn't quite warm enough yet for ice cream, but Karen had been craving some so they had gone ahead and found a little corner shop where they each got two scoops.

Will looked down at their entwined arms and frowned at Karen.

"Honey, you know the best part about Paris?" she asked him, smiling. She didn't wait for him to answer. "Nobody knows me here," she told him, recognizing his concern in her display of affection.

"Well in that case," he said, leaning down to kiss her. Karen smiled and stopped them, throwing her arms around his neck and deepening their kiss. Her right foot slowly popped up as he pulled her closer.

"Hey hey hey, watch that ice cream," Will laughed, breaking their kiss to run a hand over the back of his neck, making sure she hadn't accidentally gotten any on him. Karen just rolled her eyes and grabbed his hand, pulling him onward down the street.

They spent the rest of the day like that, taking in the sights and sounds of Paris in the spring. They went to all the major tourist spots; the Louvre, the top of the Eiffel Tower, the other museums. But the best part of their day was spent exploring the lesser-known parts of the city. Karen showed Will her favorite book stores and he pulled her into some amazing vintage shops.

From a park bench, Karen and Will watched the sun set that evening in silence. When Will pulled out a cigarette and lit it, Karen yanked it from his mouth and threw it on the ground. Before she had the chance to stomp it out, though, Will had grabbed her around the waist and picked her up in retaliation as she laughed and squealed. As soon as he set her down, she kicked off her heels and took off running. And so, as Will chased Karen around the green park, every once in awhile pinning her and kissing her fiercely, another one of their few days together came to an end.


	14. Chapter 14

"Do you think Elliot will like this?" Will asked, holding up a white t-shirt with the Eiffel Tower on it.

"How the hell would I know?" Karen responded, looking up from the French fashion magazine she was flipping through. Will chuckled and pulled the shirt from the rack, walking to the little window where the cash register was. They were at a sidewalk souvenir shop, making fun of all the tacky tourist gifts and grabbing some for their friends back in New York.

"Will?" Karen asked suddenly, wrapping her arms around him from behind as he waited for the sales person to bag up his purchase.

"Yeah?" he asked, extending his hand to take receive his change.

"When are you going home?" she laid her cheek against his back.

"_Merci," _Will told the sales person, taking the white plastic bag from him before lifting one arm and turning to wrap it around Karen. "In eight days."

Karen looked at him, surprised. She didn't know he had set such a definitive time table for this trip.

"You booked a flight?"

"I did," he affirmed, leading them down the winding path back towards his hotel.

"I don't understand…" Karen began. Will knew exactly what she was thinking.

"Karen….I-I had to put some boundaries on this," Will told her, shrugging. He didn't need to say the words for Karen to know he was referring to their affair. Karen broke away from him, sliding her hand down to find his. She laced her fingers with his as she spoke. Her voice was quiet and timid, and Will knew he was witnessing the rare, vulnerable side of Karen. The side he knew he needed to take the most care of.

"But…why?" she asked him, shyly meeting his gaze. "Don't you want this to last forever?"

Will suddenly stopped walking, and grabbed her arm roughly to make sure she stopped also. He dropped the bag he was holding onto the concrete next to him and grabbed her waist tightly, pulling her close. Suddenly Karen felt herself being dipped backwards, as Will kissed her fiercely, his strong arms around her waist and her back. The gesture was romantic and uncharacteristically bold for Will, so Karen couldn't help but smile when he broke their kiss and set her back upright.

"Of course I do," he told her, looking deep into her eyes. "More than you could know." They continued walking. "But Karen, nothing's changed for us. There is still no way we could ever be together." She reluctantly nodded, acknowledging the sad truth of his words. The rest of the walk back to the hotel was silent as the pair pondered how their future together would play out.

Two hours later, and Karen was flat on her back as Will pulled out of her. He balanced his weight on his forearms, leaning over her to kiss her sweaty collarbone. He sighed as he rolled onto his back next to her, listening to her catch her breath. After a minute, she sat up on the edge of the bed, pulling the white sheet around her naked body. Will reached between his legs to remove his condom.

"Huh," he mumbled, pulling his hand out from beneath his sheet to examine the used rubber.

"What?" Karen asked, securing the sheet under her arms like a towel.

"It broke," Will uttered, in disbelief. "In all my years of using these, I've never actually had one break." He shrugged and pulled a tissue off of the bedside table next to him to wrap the condom in. Karen watched his nonchalant actions in disbelief.

"Shit, Will!" she exclaimed. Her anxious tone startled him and he turned to look at her as she stood from the bed, the sheet wrapped around her like a strapless dress. Her hair, which was curling around her face as the sweat dried in it, fell loose around her shoulders.

"What?" he asked. "It's no big deal, right? I'm clean and you're on the pill."

Karen didn't say anything, just stared at him, her eyebrows furrowed.

"_Right?"_

She took a deep breath and tried to answer him calmly.

"No, Will, I am not. I _told_ you that Stan and I were trying to get pregnant. I haven't taken a birth control pill in a year."

The color drained from Will's face and he suddenly felt nauseous as Karen began to pace the room in front of him.

"Well….I mean, it's probably fine right?" he asked, the nerves resounding in his voice as it rose in pitch. Karen shrugged.

"I don't know, is it?" she paused her pacing. "I haven't gotten pregnant in a year of trying so chances are good that I won't from this one time," she explained, "but….what if?"

Suddenly Will was at her side, wrapping his arms around her. He didn't know what he could possibly say to make her feel better. On the one hand, his heart was leaping at the thought of having a baby with Karen. He couldn't deny that it was something he had been thinking about since the night before when they were at Claire's place. But no way in hell would Karen getting pregnant be a good idea. What would she tell Stan? How would they tell Jack and Grace?

As they stood there in their embrace, Karen too was running through all the possibilities in her head. If she _was_ pregnant, she could tell Stan it was his. No, that wouldn't be fair to Will. Or Stan. She could leave Stan immediately upon their return to New York and raise the baby with Will. No, she couldn't do that. She wouldn't get any money from Stan, they'd be able to trace her pregnancy back to before they split and he would know she had been unfaithful. And she wasn't entirely sure she was ready to leave Stan. She sighed. But, it might be her only option.

"Wait!" Will exclaimed, pulling back to look at Karen's worried face. "Can't you get a morning after pill or something? Doesn't that usually work? Wouldn't that end it?"

Karen licked her lip and nodded slowly.

"Yeah…." She began. "But honey - I'm not sure I want to."


	15. Chapter 15

Will clutched Karen's trembling hand beneath the tabletop.

"So what is it?" Grace asked him, her eyes intense. She was seated across from him at the round kitchen tale of their apartment, with Karen between them and Jack across from her. When Will didn't answer her question immediately, forks clanked onto their plates and eyes turned suspiciously towards him. Karen stared at her chicken cordon bleu. She squeezed Will's hand.

"You said you had something big to tell us, so what's the news?" Grace prompted again. Will took a deep breath before speaking.

"Well guys, there's um…there's no easy way to say this, so I'm just going to say it," he said. Karen looked at him, her eyebrows furrowed. Grace and Jack leaned into him, expectantly. "Me and Karen…um, K-K-Karen and me are…"

"Yes?" Jack was growing impatient.

Will couldn't get the words out.

"We're going to have a baby." Karen finished the thought for him.

Grace and Jack sat in shocked silence for a moment, then both burst into hysterical laughter.

"Good one, guys," Jack cackled. "Can you _imagine_?!" He and Grace continued laughing, a snort escaping from Grace as she slapped her hand against the table. It only took a minute or two for them to realize that Karen and Will were definitely not laughing.

"Guys…" Will's voice was barely audible. The laughter subsided and Grace was suddenly very confused.

"Wait…are you serious?" she asked, the smile sliding off of her face. Jack recoiled in horror.

"Very," Will replied, as Karen pushed her chair away from the table and stood, exposing to them her swollen belly. Will patted it proudly, watching as it grew by the second. Jack began retching as Grace stood up and extended hand towards Karen's stomach, which was now the size of a watermelon.

"Oh…my…GOD," she exclaimed, advancing slowly towards Karen and Will.

"So what do you think, honey?" Karen asked her, smiling. Her stomach looked like it was about to pop.

"I think….I think…" Grace sputtered. Suddenly, her eyes turned a deep red, and she turned towards Will. "I think I'm gonna KILL YOU."

Suddenly, Karen and Jack evaporated out of the room, and the walls started closing in on Will as he backed away from Grace. Everything started going dark, and all her could see was her outraged form, rising in front of him, her hands extended towards his throat.

"Gracie…" he croaked, waving his hands in front of him in a desperate attempt to fend her off. "GRACE!"

But it was too late, her huge, icy hands had encircled his throat as rose up over him, pushing him to the ground. She tightened her grip on his throat, emitting a shrieking sound that must be what death sounds like. Will squinched his eyes shut tight, waiting for the end to come. Just as long as she didn't hurt Karen. Karen…

"KAREN!"

Will was woken by the sound of his own voice as his cry pierced the silence of the night. He sat bolt upright in the hotel bed, and jumped when he felt Karen's hand on his shoulder. He collected himself and sighed, placing his own hand on top of hers.

"So what'd they do to _you_?" she asked him, giving him a knowing smile. It would never fail to amaze Will just how simpatico his and Karen's thoughts were.

"Strangled me."

"Hmm, that's not so bad," Karen paused, "Jack torched my closet."

"Wow," Will breathed, forcing a smile. It was then that he noticed Karen sitting in the bed next to him with her bathrobe on, an open book resting on her lap and her bedside light on. "How long have you been awake?"

"About half an hour."

"What are we gonna do, Kare?" Will's voice was sullen as he turned to her. She took his face in her hands, letting the book on her lap flip shut.

"We're not going to do anything yet," she instructed. "We've got four more days together and three more before I can get an accurate pregnancy test reading," she reminded him. "So we're just going to enjoy ourselves and try not to think about this."

She released his face and plucked the book from her lap, placing it on the bedside table as she switched off the light. He nodded, and wrapped his arm around her warm frame as she snuggled up next to him in the darkness. Not thinking about their situation was easier said than done. MUCH easier said than done. He traced the indent of her bellybutton with his index finger and kissed the crook of her neck. Even now, their child could be growing inside of her, beneath his very fingertips. He squeezed his eyes together tightly, willing the image to leave his mind. Karen sensed his tension.

"Will, relax," she told him, adjusting the pillow beneath her head. "No matter what happens," she began, turning her head the slightest bit to meet his eyes, "I love you."

Will smiled for her. He really wasn't looking forward to dealing with the consequences if she was pregnant. But even more so than that, he was absolutely dreading the feeling of disappointment if she wasn't.

"I love you too."


	16. Chapter 16

_No more chances, Stanley. _

_I promise you - look at me, Karen - I PROMISE you that you're the only one._

_For now. _

_For always. I don't want to hurt you. _

_Then why did you? _

_Karen…I promise you. _Beat. _Now let's go get you a new ring._

Karen replayed the conversation from the previous year in her head. That was it - the exchange of a few quiet sentences, a kiss, a loving gaze. And then it was done, all was forgiven. That was how it had always been with Stan. Everything had been more implied than explicitly stated or shown…a thousand sentiments were always lodged behind every painful word spoken. Perhaps it was because neither of them were very good at expressing their emotions, so that whenever an issue arose, the surface was only barely scratched. She did love Stan, she always had, but something was missing. She wished there was a way she could tell him that. She wished that they had the kind of relationship where they didn't have to keep secrets. She wished she had with Stan the ease of her relationship with Will, the implicit trust. She wished a lot of things.

"Where are you?" Will asked her gently, bowing his head to get under her gaze and bring her attention back to him. She put down her glass of wine and smiled at him faintly.

"Sorry…" she breathed, "just thinking."

"I like your quiet times," Will told her, clinking his glass against hers in a mini-toast. To what, she wasn't really sure. "I can see your soul in your eyes."

Normally, Karen would've scoffed at such a disgustingly poetic statement, but oddly, she kind of knew what he meant. Her eyes darted from left to right to ensure that their fellow bistro patrons weren't listening to the conversation before she leaned into him.

"I see yours when you're writing." She smiled shyly.

"When I'm writing?"

"In your journal."

"I haven't kept a journal in…"

"…a year. I know. But when we were on the beach, sometimes I would just watch your eyes as you wrote. At the time I didn't know what you were writing about, and sometimes I would try to guess based on the color of your eyes. You know - not the literal color…the way they sometimes pierced the page, like you were writing about a top secret government assassination plan. Or the way they danced like you were writing about…" she trailed the nail of her index finger along his palm and wrist in the middle of the table. "…a lover."

Will let out a surprised chuckle. He didn't know she had ever paid as much attention the intricacies of his existence as he did hers.

"Who _are_ you, Karen Walker?" The smile in his voice matched the one on his lips as he looked at hers. She entwined her fingers with his.

"You know who I am," she almost-whispered, "I'm everything you deserve and nothing you need."

"_Mais oui!"_ Will romanced. He adopted a faux-French accent. "And you are most certainly everysing I _want_." The round table for two they were seated at was just shallow enough in diameter that he was able to lean forward and brush his lips against hers without turning it on its side.

A waiter appeared, as Karen smiled against Will's mouth, and produced a large piece of lush-looking chocolate cake. Karen and Will parted as the waiter placed the plate between them, a fork for each other them angled across it. Karen poked at the big brown triangle in front of her as Will took a bite.

"Will?"

"Yes?"

"Does it bother you that I'm cheating on my husband?"

Will swallowed hard and set his fork back onto the plate. He licked his lips before taking a drink of his wine. After he set it down, he wiped the corners of his mouth with his thumb knuckle. Karen just stared at him patiently, waiting for him to answer.

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I feel like it's my fault."

Karen straightened up in her chair. This was not the answer she had been expecting. She frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you wouldn't be cheating on him if it weren't for me."

"How do you know?"

"I guess I don't." He challenged her with his eyes. "Would you ever consider cheating on him with anyone else?" He asked her in a way that said he already knew the answer, but wanted her to arrive at the same conclusion he had. She bit her lip and looked at the ceiling.

"No…no, I wouldn't."

Will didn't say anything, just raised his glass to her, as well as his eyebrows. He took another drink.

"I thought…I thought you would say something about me - about my character."

"Why would you think that?"

"Well because how do you know that I won't ever cheat on you? I have been cheating on you, in a way. For the past year I've been thinking about you but sleeping with my husband."

"True."

"And I mean, what kind of a woman has an affair? With her employer's gay best friend?"

Karen was on the verge of rambling. The thoughts spilling out of her mouth were ones that had been bottled up in her head for a year. Now that they were flowing, like the wine from the bottle the waiter was holding over her class, they were hard to stop.

"It sounds to me like you're the one that has a problem with it."

"Well of course I do!" Karen nearly shouted the words. It was a relief to say them. She had tried to pretend, when she was around Will, that her conscience didn't ever bother her. Will didn't need to be as smart as he was to see this masquerade. "Do you think I _like_ feeling like an adulteress? Do you think I don't wish every God damn day that things were different?"

"See." Will's voice and demeanor were calm, despite Karen's growing agitation.

"What?" she snipped. "See what?"

"This is why I'm not worried about it. Because I know this isn't who you are. I know you try to fight this every minute of every day. And I don't blame you for it."

"So why aren't you…" Karen's voice was softer and calmer now. She knew Will's temperament and reactions very well, but wasn't quite sure where he was going with this one.

"These circumstances…_us_…" Will pointed back and forth in a rapid motion in the space between their hearts. "…is a different. It's this crazy thing that nobody say coming and nobody can explain."

"It doesn't count," Karen finished for him. He shrugged, nodding.

"Yeah."

Karen finally dug into the cake in front of her and pondered the sweet, rich taste of the flour and sugar in her mouth. An old Edith Piaf standard lilted to their table from the cabaret stage on the other side of the room.

"Can we talk about something else?" Will asked. Karen looked at him. "We always talk about such heavy stuff," he explained. "Can't we talk about something a little more…lighthearted?"

Karen smiled and nodded. It was true that in the past few days they had been making up for a lot of missed conversations over the past year that should've been had about what was happening between them.

"Sure, honey. What do you want to talk about?"

Will bit his lip as he thought.

"How fabulous my ass looks in these jeans."

Karen rolled her eyes.

"You are such a 'mo."


	17. Chapter 17

Will paced the length of Karen's hotel bedroom as she sat, still as a statue, on the chaise lounge. Neither of them spoke. The vintage grandfather clock in the corner of the room ticked out each passing second. Through the open balcony door, the sound of birds chirping and cars passing was audible. The lilting, sadly clownish sound of an accordion on the street below floated into the room, swirling around their tensed bodies.

_Tick. Tick. Tick._

Karen could've thrown her watch through the glass face of that damned clock. She wished Will would stop pacing and sit down, next to her. She wished he would hold her hand.

Will looked down at Karen as he crossed behind her, towards the bed. He wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand. Depending on what that little stick, sitting on a soap dish in the bathroom, said, his entire life could completely change. So would Karen's. And Stan's. And Grace's and Jack's. It dawned on him just how many people this hypothetical baby would affect. Maybe this hadn't been such a good idea. He crossed back to Karen.

"Karen?" he said her name softly and her head snapped up to look at him. He sat next to her. "I need to tell you something."

"What is it?" she asked, her eyes questioning. Will sighed.

"I…I um…" Will began. He looked at his hands. "I ripped that condom."

Karen frowned, not as confused as she pretended to be.

"Will, what are you talking -"

"The condom didn't break," he explained. His voice was louder now and he looked directly at her. The annoyance in his demeanor was not directed towards Karen, but rather, himself. "I ripped it because I wanted you to get pregnant."

Karen's mouth fell open. She took her face in her hands and shook her head as he tried to embrace her.

"No," she told him, pushing his arms away and standing from the couch.

"Karen, I'm sorry," he told her. She strode towards the bathroom, stopping when she reached the doorway to turn sharply and address him.

"Oh, you're 'sorry'?" Karen scoffed. Her voice was raised. "I-I-I can't believe you what do something that stupid!"

"Yes, I _am_ sorry!" Will yelled, now standing. "But I _love_ you. I want a baby! YOU want a baby! I just thought this would be a good thing…for all of us." Karen stared back at him. Her posture softened. "I had to go a whole year without you, Karen. A WHOLE YEAR. I don't want to be without you ever again. If we had a baby…I wouldn't have to be."

Karen shook her head slowly and sighed.

"I love you too - I do. And yes, Will, I've dreamt about having a family with you. Yes, I've fantasized about a child that was half me and half you and I've even thought about names." She swallowed back tears. "But…do you have _any_ idea how much this will change things? I mean everything will be completely different, Will."

"I know," he whispered.

"This would be like…like a nuclear war. And in the end you and me would be the only ones left standing. We would lose EVERYONE."

"I know that, that's why I had to tell you what I had done."

"Well it's too late now!" Karen shrilled. She put a hand on her forehead and their roles were reversed as she began pacing back and forth in front of the door and Will sat in front of her on the bed. "I thought…" Karen began. She swallowed. "I thought this was an accident. I thought that this…that this was the universe's way of making things work out - that this was all beyond our control and things might finally happen. But now…now that I know you orchestrated this…" her thoughts trailed off.

Will's heart ached. He couldn't believe he had been so selfish. But he didn't say anything. He didn't know what to.

Karen went into the bathroom and closed the door. Will didn't move from the bed. Through the door he heard her stifle a sob. Will stood from the bed and just as he was about to go into the bathroom, Karen emerged from it. As soon as she flung the door open, she threw the pregnancy test at him. He just barely caught it as she stormed past him. He watched her grab his pack of cigarettes off of the table next to the balcony door and slam it shut as she stepped out into the fresh air.

Only then did he look down at the plastic stick in his hands.

_Pregnant_

Will read and reread the word. His breathing was heavy and his facial muscles couldn't decide if they wanted to frown or smile. He set the stick down on the bed and rushed out to balcony.

Karen had her back to him and was leaned against the wrought iron railing, looking down over the street below her. A cigarette was pinched between her lips. Will wrapped an arm around her from behind, and used his other hand to pull the cigarette from her lips and throw it over the side of the balcony. Karen didn't resist him, but didn't respond either.

"I'm sorry," Will whispered into her ear. She heard the smile in his voice. "Are you still mad?" He wrapped his other hand around her body now, and let his hands come to rest on her lower stomach, where their baby was growing. Karen closed her eyes and leaned her head back to rest it on his shoulder.

"No."

He kissed her hair.

"Then I'm not sorry."

She gave one small laugh and shook her head.

"What the hell am I gonna do?" Karen turned herself in Will's arms to face him, and buried her face in his chest. Will shrugged.

"What do you want to do?"

Karen bit her lip as she thought for a second. There was really only one thing she wanted. She pulled back and looked up at him, her eyes wide and hopeful.

"I'm going to leave Stan."

Will smiled and hugged her again, picking her up off the ground and twirling her in a circle.

"I've been waiting so long to hear you say that!"

She kissed him.

"We're having a baby, Wilma."

He shook his head in disbelief as he picked her up again and pushed the balcony door open.

"I know. It's amazing isn't it?" he asked as he laid her down on the bed. She licked her lips and looked up into his eyes.

"Incredible."


	18. Chapter 18

The needle was cold against her finger and she twitched slightly as it pricked her skin. Will squeezed her other hand as the nurse held the small vial up to Karen's tiny puncture.

"All done," the French nurse proclaimed, slapping a band aid around the end of Karen's finger.

"Thank you," Will told her as she nodded and left the small clinic room, closing the door firmly behind her.

"That wasn't so bad," Karen announced, smiling at Will. He scrunched up his mouth.

"Karen, why are we here?" he asked her. "We already know you're pregnant."

Karen sighed.

"I just want to make sure, honey," she told him. "I've gotten false results from those disposable tests before." Karen hopped down from the examination table and went to slide her shoes back on. Will understood her rationale, but he was starting to feel like there was some other motivation for her insistence on getting a blood test. But for now, he let it go.

"So I was thinking we could go get some ice cream after get out of here," he suggested. Karen didn't respond as she dug through her purse.

"Hey are you still leaving tomorrow?" she asked him, setting her purse onto the exam table next to where he was sitting and emptying its contents. Will frowned at her.

"Uh…I haven't changed my flight yet, but I wasn't planning on it…did you hear what I said?"

"Hmm?" Will grabbed her wrist and she finally looked up at him.

"Oh…uh, yeah," she smiled at him, but he could tell that her thoughts were still far away. "But honey I thought maybe we could just go back to my place," she teased, moving between his legs to kiss the soft skin around his ear.

"Yeah…we could do that…" as much as Will was enjoying Karen's attention, he was confused. "Are you OK?"

"Yeah, honey, I'm fine," Karen replied, moving her mouth to his jaw and neck. He suddenly put both hands on her shoulders and held her away from him to look into his eyes.

"Karen."

She sighed.

"This is just all so much so soon, Will," she admitted, and he took her in his arms. "Stan's going to come back eventually, and I just don't know if I can…" she looked up at him. "I don't know if I can do it."

"Well, you don't have much choice now," he told her. He tried to make his voice sound comforting but he was panicking. Would she back out?

"I know and I hate that," she told him. "I hate not having a choice." He knew that. "And I'm scared."

"Of what?"

"Oh having another miscarriage…of anything going wrong," she confessed.

"Karen…"

"I'm 41, Will. Not exactly prime child birth age."

Will stroked her cheek with his hand.

"It's going to be fine, Karen. And no matter _what_ happens, I'm going to be here with you. All the way."

"I know." The thought didn't comfort her as much as it should have.

There was a knock at the door before it was pushed open by the nurse.

"Well, Mrs. Walk-air," the nurse addressed Karen in her thick, French accent. "I have sent ze sample to ze lab, so we will call you later today. You are free to go."

"Thank you," Karen told her. The nurse nodded politely and left the room.

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Will ran his fingers through Karen's mahogany tresses as she flipped through the fashion magazine situated in the crook of her crossed legs on the bed. Will sat up on his knees behind her, massaging her neck and shoulders, taking in the scent of her hair.

"What are you going to tell Stan?" he asked her. She hesitated, caught off guard by his mention of Stanley.

"Well, I guess I'll just tell him…" Karen paused, thinking. She had been so wrapped up in the idea of having a baby for the past 24 hours that she hadn't even formulated a plan of action for once her husband returned from China. "…that I'm not happy with him anymore."

Will plopped down onto the mattress on his side, propping himself up with one elbow.

"So you're not going to tell him about the baby?" he asked. Karen flipped a page in the magazine.

"I don't think so," she responded, nonchalantly. "At least not yet."

"You know you're going to have to find another divorce lawyer," Will told her. She hadn't thought of this. "I can't represent you, you know. Given the…circumstances." He put a hand over hers and smiled.

"Yeah, well, I'll worry about that when we get back to New York," she told him, closing the magazine and tossing it onto the floor next to the bed. She laid down next to him and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"When is Stan going to get back, anyway?" Will asked. There was no reason for his voice to be loud - their faces were only an inch or two apart.

"I don't know," Karen shrugged. "He called two nights ago and said he thought it would be soon but he didn't know exactly when." Her stomach twisted into knots as she anticipated his arrival. She wasn't particularly looking forward to what she was going to have to tell him.

Will scooted himself closer to her and kissed her lips softly. She wrapped her arm across his torso and nuzzled her face into his, feeling his warm breath on her mouth. His hand caressed her back. He knew she was scared. He was scared himself. This was the most out of character thing he had ever done - getting his biggest client's wife pregnant and then standing by her as she left him. How would this all play out? Theirs was a world of uncertainties, and it was all their fault. Two weeks ago, they had been living perfectly safe and normal lives. But they weren't happy. And this spontaneity, this romanticism and the new sides they brought out in each other was the brilliant thing about their relationship. Karen made Will unpredictable and made him embrace life. Will made Karen sensitive and selfless. They were all of these things already, but they needed each other to draw all of their _best_ qualities out.

Karen rolled on top of Will and began unbuttoning his shirt. He noticed her fingers trembling slightly. When she had gotten half way down the column of buttons, Will sat up and pressed his chest into hers, wrapping his arms around her tighter than was comfortable for Karen. But she didn't mind - his sudden embrace brought tears to her eyes. She reciprocated by wrapping her legs around his waist, pulling them as close in their sitting position as they possibly could be. His heart beat echoed against her own.

Will relished the moment. God, he loved her.


	19. Chapter 19

Will's lips followed the curve of Karen's shoulder as his hands trailed down her waist. She bit her lip as disappeared under the sheet, his tongue tickling her bellybutton. As he kissed his way back up to her face, she closed her eyes and relaxed her head against the fluffy white pillow, succumbing to the moment. All of her worries about Stan and the baby had melted away as Will had slowly and passionately undressed her, enveloping her in a murmur of "I love you"s and gentle kisses.

As he entered her, her legs instinctively wrapped tightly around his waist, pulling him as close to her as was physically possible. His breathing was heavy as she ground her hips beneath his weight, anticipating his matching movements. He pressed his cheek to hers as he began thrusting, focusing his eyes on the sunlight slipping behind the horizon and his mind on the perfect mixture of love and lust that was coursing through his veins for this woman.

In a matter of minutes, Karen was throwing her head back as her orgasm hit her, grasping the sheets around her in a fist of passion. Will buried his face into her neck as he came, the smell of her hair amplified by the heat of their bodies. He rested his head against her sweaty chest as they caught their breath. Karen's fingers gently twisted through his hair as he listened to her heart beats slow.

"I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you," Will breathed, not moving from his position in Karen's arms. She didn't say anything, just leaned her head down to kiss the top of his. He moved a hand to her lower stomach. Karen sighed.

"What?" Will asked, sliding up next to her so that they were face to face.

"Nothing," Karen shrugged. She smiled. "I love you."

Before Will could answer, there was a knock from the front door of the suite. Karen and Will looked at each other.

"Just pretend that we're not here," he whispered, snuggling in to kiss her cheek and ear. He figured it was probably just the hotel manager coming to make sure their stay was alright, or a maid dropping off an extra set of towels. But Karen was worried. She pulled away from him and sat up, listening. Another knock, three in rapid succession.

"Karen?" Stan's voice called from the other side of the door.

"_Shit,"_ Karen whispered, quickly jumping from the bed. Will practically fell out of the bed as he hurried to find his boxers.

"Get in the closet," Karen instructed, collecting his clothes from the floor next to the bed and throwing them at him. He looked at her questioningly as she tied her bathrobe around her and combed through her hair with her fingers. Stan knocked again. "Coming!" Karen yelled. She looked at Will's confusion. "What? Get in there!"

"Don't you want me to be here with you? For moral support?" he whispered.

"No!" she answered him, pushing him into the large closet that was housing all of her clothes. "Keep quiet!"

As soon as the wooden double doors had closed, Karen dashed through the kitchen and living room to the door. She took a deep breath before pulling it open, revealing a tired-looking Stan, suitcase in hand. He gave a faint but genuine smile as soon as he saw her, dropping his bags to pull her into an embrace.

"Stanley!" she greeted him as he kissed her cheek.

"Hi, sweetie," he whispered.

"Come in, come in," she instructed, pulling him into the suite as he grabbed his suitcase.

From inside the closet, Will couldn't hear much of what was going on in the next room. He heard the main door close and soon after, Stan's voice grew louder as he and Karen entered the bedroom. Through the slit between the doors, he watched as Stan removed his coat and threw it on the bed. Neither of them said anything as Stan turned his attention back towards Karen, and Will's hands instinctively balled into fists as he watched Stan pull her towards him and kiss her fiercely.

Stan pulled back and studied Karen.

"Why aren't you dressed?" he asked her. Her eyes darted nervously to the bed she had just shared with Will.

"Oh, uh...I was just getting ready to take a shower," she lied. Stan bought it, and kissed her again.

"I missed you," he told her, breaking their embrace to open his suitcase. Karen smoothed her hair, fidgeted.

"Stanley there's…there's something I need to tell you," she told him, barely choking out the words. A bead of sweat formed on Will's brow as he watched Stan slowly look up from a pair of Dockers to meet Karen's eyes.

Just then, Karen's cell phone started ringing from the bedside table. All three pairs of eyes landed on it, buzzing and humming away in the midst of the tense moment. No one said anything as the little tune started over.

"Are you going to get that?" Stan asked, looking back at Karen. She nodded quickly and went to pick it up.

Will's palms were sweaty. He couldn't stand this anticipation any longer. Karen answered the phone.

"Hello?...Yes, this is her."

Will's breath caught in his throat. The doctor's office? Karen's voice snapped him back to the moment.

"Oh, hello. Thank you for calling," she shot a glance at Stan, who had once again busied himself with unpacking. Her heart was pounding.

"Oh, I'm not? I see." Will frowned as he heard Karen say the words. Through his narrow field of vision, he saw Karen looking directly at him. Her eyebrows were pulled tight and the corners of her mouth were slightly downturned. "Well, thank you for clearing that up," she continued. She was doing that voice that was extra-steady that she always did when she was on the verge of tears. She turned away from Will in the closet as she closed the cell phone and placed it back onto the table. Hurriedly, she wiped away a tear or two before turning back towards Stan. Will felt sick to his stomach.

"What was that about?" Stan asked.

"Oh, um…nothing," Karen replied. Will's head was spinning.

"So what was it you wanted to tell me?" Stan asked. Karen took a deep breath, and went to sit on the bed next to where he was unfolding undershirts.

"I wanted to tell you that…" she twisted her wedding ring. "I just…I missed you too," she finished. Will's mouth fell open. Was she really doing this? This was _not_ the plan! He watched in disgust as Stan abandoned his suitcase to capture Karen's mouth with his own and run his hands over her breasts. He kissed down her neck, leaving her free to shoot a glance in Will's direction. She didn't let her eyes rest on his, brooding and barely visible through the tiny crack in the doors, though. She couldn't bear it.

"Why don't I join you in the shower?" Stan asked, as he released Karen momentarily to remove his tie. She turned her focus back to him and smiled seductively. Without waiting for an answer, Stan scooped her up in his arms and kicked open the bathroom door next to the closet. Will flinched as the door closed next to him; Karen's giggled mixing with the running water of the shower.

In a fit of hurt and rage, Will busted out of the closet. He quickly pulled on his clothes and cast one last look at the bed before turning towards the living room to leave. He should have known she would never leave Stan for him. The only reason she had even considered it was because of the baby, and now there was no baby. It was all over, before it even began.

On his way out, Will slammed the door, not really caring if Stan heard or not.


	20. Chapter 20

"Will, it's Karen…I-I don't really know what to say. You um, you don't have to call me or anything. I just want you to know that…that I'm sorry."

Will's finger lingered over the "erase" button on the answering machine. It was exactly the 16th time he had listened to her message in the past 24 hours. He knew Grace hadn't heard it, because it had gone to his mailbox only. He had been back from Paris for a week and hadn't talked to Karen since storming out of her hotel suite. He didn't know that barely two hours later, she had run to his hotel, searching for him frantically, only to find that he had already checked out.

He wanted to erase the message. He wanted to erase everything that had happened between them - but he couldn't bring himself to permanently delete the sound of her voice. For all he knew, he might never hear it again. He hadn't asked Grace about her yet, whether she was back or not. For now, Grace's office was off-limits in his mind, in case she was there. He wouldn't even begin to know how to deal with her. The last time this had happened, things hadn't ended so much as they had just been put on pause. She knew exactly how he felt, and there were no loose ends to tie up. Each knew exactly where the other stood, and even though they weren't necessarily happy with their situation, they knew how to handle each other. But this time was completely different.

The sound of Grace opening the door of their apartment brought Will out of his thoughts, and without thinking it through, he quickly deleted the message. As soon as he did it he regretted it, but he turned and smiled at Grace, hiding all of his inner turmoil.

"Hey sweetie!" she greeted him, two large brown grocery bags in her arms. He hurried to her and grabbed one, closing the door behind her as she went into the kitchen. "Did you call Karen back today?"

"What?" Will asked, surprised. Had she heard Karen's message?

"Well she said today that she's been trying to get in touch with you but you haven't returned any of her calls," Grace explained, unloading the bag she had just set on the counter.

"Oh, um…no, I haven't," Will answered. He mechanically opened the refrigerator to put in a new jar of mayonnaise.

"Well you should. She seemed kind of upset," Grace explained. "Did something happen?"

Will closed the refrigerator and looked at her, his face eerily serious. Grace frowned, giving him a "what?" look.

"No, no…I just- you know, there's some legal stuff," Will mumbled, turning his back on Grace to dig into the other grocery bag.

"Oh…" Grace muttered, confused. She shrugged, not too concerned about Will's weirdness towards Karen. It was no secret that they had a strange relationship - sometimes friendly, sometimes not. "Oh, by the way, she told me today that while she and Stan were in Europe they had some big falling out and they decided to separate," Grace told Will, the gossip spilling out of her mouth.

"What?" Will practically shouted.

"I know!" Grace exclaimed, her mouth full of the stuffed grape leaf she had just taken a bite of.

"Did she say why?"

"No, she said she didn't really want to talk about it. She just said that as soon as they got back, he packed up and moved out of the manse. She was also very emphatic about the fact that I was allowed to tell you this news, which was kind of weird."

Will didn't say anything, lost in his thoughts. He barely noticed when he knocked the open container of grape leaves off the counter.

"Sorry," he muttered, bending down to clean up the mess.

"Don't worry about it," Grace told him. "I'll get more tomorrow. Are you OK?" She bent down next to him and looked him square in the eye.

"Yeah, why?" he asked, turning his face back down to the floor.

"You just seem a little weird."

"No, I'm fine," Will lied, standing up. "I'm just tired." Grace stood too and nodded in understanding. "So when is Nathan coming over?"

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The next afternoon, Karen rushed across the street to Grace's office building. She threw her purse over her shoulder as she opened one of the glass doors to the lobby, just in time to see the lift closing.

"Wait!" she called, running over to it. Whoever was inside pushed the button and the grate opened back up as she stepped inside. It was only then, as the grate clicked shut and they lurched upward, that Karen realized she was sharing this elevator ride with Will.

Their eyes only met for a brief second before Karen looked away, suddenly ashamed. She was caught unprepared and was not yet mentally ready to deal with him. She wedged herself into the opposite corner from him as the silent tension between them grew.

Will fidgeted. His anger toward Karen had subsided slightly after learning from Grace last night that she and Stan had separated. Although she still wasn't his, at least now she wasn't Stan's, either. At least she had finally followed through with the original plan. Neither of them breathed a word, and it was quickly becoming clear that their uncomfortable silence would not be broken until they reached Grace's office.

Suddenly, the dim fluorescent lights of the lift flickered as the elevator churned to a halt.


	21. Chapter 21

"Damn it," Will uttered, scanning the buttons on the wall in front of him for the call button. Before he could locate it, however, the lights failed completely, leaving the pair in total darkness. The only sound was the small gasp that escaped Karen's lips as everything went dark around her. Memories of the last time this had happened to them floated between the two of them.

"What do we do now?" Karen's voice broke the silence.

"I don't know," Will admitted, and Karen noticed that his voice was closer than she had expected. "Wait, I guess. Sooner or later someone will realize the lift isn't working."

Karen listened as Will sat down on the floor, the fabric of his suit creating a soft "whoosh" as his back slid down along the wall. His legs must've been extended in front of him, as Karen felt the tip of his shoe brush her ankle for a fleeting second. Uncomfortable, she fidgeted.

From the silence, a high-pitched beeping rang out. _Beepbeep…beepbeep._

"What the hell was that?" Will asked, his voice slightly on edge.

"Calm down, it's just my alarm," Karen explained, fumbling through her purse in the dark to turn it off.

"Alarm for what?" Will asked. Karen sighed.

"My shot."

Will didn't say anything and Karen couldn't see his face, but she knew he was silently demanding an explanation.

"It's a hormone injection," she told him flatly, her hand finally grasping the thin syringe out of the corner of her handbag.

"Hormone injection?" Will asked. "And all these years I thought you were only joking when you talked about being a man." This normally would've been funny to Karen, but the iciness of his voice and their recent circumstances indicated to her that she should take this as an insult.

Karen ignored him as she lifted her shirt a couple of inches, closed her eyes and plunged the needle into the soft skin of right above her left hip. She exhaled slowly as she pushed her thumb down on the plunger, releasing the substance into her bloodstream. Will could barely hear any of this, but he guessed what she was doing.

"You're really not going to tell me what you're taking hormones for?" he asked, his voice biting.

"No, I'm really not," she replied. He sighed.

"Fine, I don't care anyway."

His words were harsh, and both of them knew he didn't really mean it, but Karen felt hurt nonetheless. She thought about acting indignant and giving him the cold shoulder, but then remembered that he had every right to be mad at her - this time it had been _her_ that walked out on _him_. She dropped her purse onto the floor of the elevator next to her and carefully sat herself down, from what she assumed was across from Will. It was so dark in there that her eyes still hadn't adjusted to the darkness.

"I tried calling," she stated, her voice almost a whisper.

"I know," he replied. This time, his voice was surprisingly gentle. He sensed her surrender, hearing the remorse in her voice.

"Did you get my message?" she ventured. She wished she could see his face.

"Yes."

Several minutes ticked by, with neither of them speaking. Karen longed to see his face, read his expression. But it was still pitch black, and she was giving up. He clearly had no interest in talking to her. A salty tear saturated the corner of her mouth.

Will did want to talk to her. He had been missing her since leaving Paris, no matter how upset he was. And in all honesty, he could never stay mad at Karen. But he did want her to feel bad - he didn't want to give in and forgive her like it was some easy thing, like she hadn't completely torn his world apart when she had failed to leave Stan that night in the hotel. He fought with himself about what to do before finally speaking. When he did, his voice sounded frail, not confident and empowered as he had meant it to.

"How could you do that to me?"

Karen suppressed a sniffle, not wanting him to realize her emotion. She considered her answer before she spoke.

"Will, I…I just couldn't do it," she began. Will scoffed, but she continued. "Everything just happened so fast. One day you were a completely impossible fantasy, the next you show up in Paris and tell me that you love me…and then suddenly I'm pregnant with my gay lover's baby, I'm going to leave my husband and my entire life for this…this uncertain future -" her sobs broke but she continued, "- which hadn't even been a possibility a week before…and then Stan showed up, out of nowhere…then suddenly I'm not pregnant?" she gasped for a breath between her flowing explanation and her sobs.

While her explanation still didn't fully justify her actions, Will was beginning to understand her side of it. He slowly edged closer to her, scooting himself so that their bodies formed a right angle, instead of being directly across from her.

"I was backed against a wall," she continued. "I felt suffocated and confused, and feeling a million different things at once. I didn't know what else to do. I was scared."

Suddenly, Will's hand was on top of Karen's. She jumped slightly under his touch.

"I was too," he admitted. Karen's sobs broke anew as Will wrapped her up in his arms. "But you chose him over me," he spoke into her hair. She shook her head and pulled back from him, resting her palm on his cheek to make up for the fact that she couldn't see into his eyes.

"No, no…I thought it was you that was suffocating me, but it wasn't. It was Stanley," she told him. She leaned forward, pressing her cheek to his as she whispered in his ear. "It's always been him. That's why I left him three nights ago."

Will didn't need light to find her lips immediately, capturing them in a sweet kiss. Her perfume tickled his nose as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him close to her warm body.

"So what does this mean?" he asked, breathless, as he broke their kiss. Karen thought for a moment as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"You tell me," she responded. "In three nights I'll be waiting for you at the fountain in Central Park, at midnight. If you can forgive me, and if you decide you want to try this, then meet me there."

The lights flickered and slowly began to fade up.

"And if I don't?"

A wave of relief rushed over Karen as for the first time in over a week she looked into his eyes. She stood as she felt the lift lurch upward.

"Then we'll go on living, just as we have been. We'll turn a leaf over this and no one will ever know about it."

Will opened his mouth to speak, but before he could they had reached Grace's office. He hurriedly stood as the grate opened, and caught Karen's eye before she turned her back on him to greet a smiling and unsuspecting Grace.


	22. Chapter 22

Three days later, Will poured himself a glass of wine before settling onto the couch next to Grace. It had been a long day for both of them, and he was glad to finally have a quiet, peaceful evening alone with his best friend of almost 16 years. As Will's arm snaked around Grace, she rested her head on his shoulder and stared at the television, not really paying attention to what was on it.

"I feel like you're hiding something from me," she stated, suddenly. Will frowned.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well it's just that ever since you got back from Paris, you've been acting strange. And you've barely even mentioned the guy you went over there with," she sat up against the edge of the couch, staring into his eyes. "What happened there, Will?"

"Grace," Will faux-chuckled, "nothing happened. Really, I'm _fine_." He emphasized the last word as he pulled his arm from around her and stood to go into the kitchen. Grace watched him walk away, taking a sip of his wine.

"Ok," she mumbled, not convinced. "But when you're ready to talk, you know where to find me."

As he uncorked the wine bottle over the kitchen sink, Will sighed to himself. Grace knew him too well to not be able to sense that he was troubled. Karen's ultimatum had put a lot of pressure on him in the last few days. Of course he still loved her, and wanted nothing more than to make a life with her, here in New York. But he also knew how much strife that would cause between the four friends. He had lost Grace before, although only for brief periods of time, but he still knew how much that hurt. He had a good feeling that her reaction to the news that he was in love with Karen and had slept with her on several occasions would not be positive, and he didn't want to lose her again. But he also didn't want to lose Karen. But Karen had let him down; she had abandoned him when he thought she would stick by him forever. If he was going to be with her, he needed to know that she was in it for the long haul. He hated feeling like he had to choose between them, but the rational side of him won out and he had made his decision. He would stay here with Grace tonight.

"Grace?" Will asked from the kitchen.

"Yeah?"

"Did you know that Karen is taking hormone injections?" he asked, remembering the weirdness in the elevator the previous day. Grace looked at him, puzzled.

"How did you know about that?"

"Well," Will paused. "Jack told me." Lie.

"Oh," Grace considered his answer. It seemed to make sense, Jack was especially close to Karen, so it wasn't an illogical step to assume she would have told him about her procedure. "She's been taking them to prepare to have some of her eggs removed," Grace explained, now joining Will in the kitchen. She sat at the round table as he leaned against the counter in front of her.

"Why would she do that?" he considered the possibilities in his head.

"Well I guess because she wants to have a baby someday, and doesn't know how much longer it will be possible," Grace shrugged. "When I asked her about it, she said 'just in case'. Although now that Stan is out of the picture, I don't know who she is planning to get to father a child. She had the procedure yesterday, she was out of the office today."

Will's stomach turned. He knew "just in case" wasn't just in case she ever wanted to have a baby. It was in case he showed up at the fountain, and they decided to try for a baby in the future. The realization hit him that Karen must really be serious about him - she was making every possible preparation for them to share a life together, something that the decidedly selfish Karen had rarely done. Will was suddenly choked up.

Carefully, he recounted the previous four years in his head. The moment he had met Karen, he knew she was special. She was beautiful beyond a doubt, any man - gay or straight - would acknowledge that. Her confidence and her smile were magnetic, drawing people in to her in an almost unexplainable way. Yes, he had taken a very strong liking to Karen right from the start. But he soon realized that she had a devilish side, the side that made people cringe when she made a remark about an outfit or a lifestyle. She was uncensored, perpetually intoxicated, and yet still perpetually intoxicating.

It didn't take long for Will to decide that he shouldn't like Karen. Besides, she was such a horrible assistant that she probably wasn't going to be around for long anyways. He didn't have a hard time playing like he detested Karen, but as soon as a year had passed and she hadn't gone away - in fact, she had gotten closer to him and Grace and Jack - he began to worry. He knew his secret feelings for her were more than friendly, and he silently berated himself every time his body reacted to her cleavage or her tight skirts. And so he knew the only thing for him to do was to push her away even further.

When he became her husband's lawyer, and thus _her_ lawyer, his charade started to go downhill. And when he found himself trapped in the Virgin Islands with her, it melted away completely. His feelings were intensified when he realized that the front she put up towards him was also quickly crumbling as they spent their days together and truly got to know each other. But she was married, and in fact, was at the time supposed to be working on her broken marriage. Will knew he was providing a huge distraction to that, but he wanted to badly to be with her that he didn't care.

And then they had sex. Passionate, romantic, mind-blowing sex. Several times that first night, in fact. Suddenly, everything he had ever thought he might be feeling about Karen was confirmed. Suddenly, he was questioning his previous identity. And suddenly, they were faced with enormous problems.

Nothing was ever the same after that. He couldn't look at her the same way, talk to her the same way, or even think about her the same way. Mailing his journal to her along with his confession had been a huge weight off his chest, but he had been a fool to think that it would ease his longing for her. When she had returned, with a new wedding ring on her finger and a smile on her face, he tried to make himself feel happiness for her, but in reality he was feeling anything but. For the next year, he paid very close attention to her every move. When they spoke he nearly drowned in her words, when she laughed a million tiny arrows pierced his heart. When they found themselves alone in Grace's stalled elevator the first time, he had been ready to take her until he passed out in her arms, his body exhausted and his heart satisfied.

But he couldn't. And he couldn't keep living the way he had, observing her in silence and loving her in secret. So he had tried to move on. He had dated a few guys, even hopped a jet to Paris for one. But within the first ten minutes of any date he went on, it became painfully obvious that none of these men could ever satisfy him the way Karen had. And when she called him in his Paris hotel room, it had seemed too good to be true - and when she told him that she loved him just as much as he loved her, his heart could've burst with joy. And when he had looked at the false pregnancy test, that told him she was carrying his child, the world began turning again. For her. His world was turning for her. And although she had hurt him, and although he knew they would be hurting their friends by being together, there was no other option. There was no other way he could continue to live.

He looked at the clock: 10:24. He still had time.

"Grace," he spoke her name softly, looked down. "I'm ready to talk."


	23. Chapter 23

Karen stretched her arms above her head and yawned, looking at the clock. 10:24. She still had plenty of time before heading to Central Park to see if Will would join her there, and thus join her in the rest of her life. As she sat up from where she had been laying on the couch, Jack stirred next to her. She felt him squeeze his arms around her waist and gently push her back down next to him in their spooning position.

"Where are you going?" he sleepily asked, as she squirmed in his arms to face him.

"Nowhere, Poodle. I was just going to get up to use the bathroom."

"Are you OK?" Jack questioned, concern in his eyes.

"Yes, Jackie, I'm _fine_," she reassured him, rolling her eyes. "You know this was just a simple out-patient surgery…you're acting like a just had a heart transplant."

"Well I'm just worried about you," Jack told her, running a hand through her hair. "You've been weird the past couple of days."

"It's probably just the hormones, honey," she told him, smiling. "Thank GOD I don't have to deal with that anymore." Jack smiled as she kissed his cheek and stood up. "But thanks for caring, honey."

"Karen you know you don't have to keep secrets from me."

Jack's words stopped Karen in her tracks. She turned towards him to see that he was now standing in front of the couch, looking at her earnestly.

"I know that," she replied nervously. "I'm not keeping any secrets from you." She tugged at a stray piece of hair.

"You're lying," he contested, frowning.

"Jack!" she replied, the tone of her voice signaling that she didn't want the conversation to go any further. She started back towards the hall, but he caught her wrist before she could reach the door. "What?" she nearly shrieked at him, turning to face him angrily.

"Why won't you tell me what's been going on with you? I know you're not fine, Kare - Stan just moved out, but yet you just had some eggs removed so you can have a baby someday? Who are you planning on having a baby with? I'm so confused," Jack confessed, letting her go and sitting back on the couch, his head in his hands. Karen softened, touched by her friend's immense concern for her. She sighed as she sat next to him and began gently rubbing his back.

"I don't know, Jackie," she told him quietly. "I just want a child of my own someday. And a lot of crazy stuff has been going on in my love life. Maybe one of these days the man I'm supposed to have a baby with will show up."

"Well who do you think its going to be, Karen?" Jack asked again, this time looking up at her. He was exasperated. "Me? You know I love you, but I already have a son," he told her. She shook her head.

"No, not you, honey."

"Well then who? Will?" he was joking of course, as indicated by the sarcastic giggles that escaped him as he said the words. The motion of Karen's hand on his back suddenly stopped, and her face turned serious. "Wait…are you _serious_?"

Karen nodded slowly. Suddenly she was thrown into a conversation she didn't know if she would ever need to have with Jack, depending on the outcome of tonight. She wasn't ready to talk to him about this yet.

"What makes you think Will would want to have a baby with you?" Jack was caught between confusion and shock. Karen lowered her eyes to her lap.

"We um, we had a scare. In Paris."

Jack's face went white.

"What do you mean you 'had a scare'? And in Paris? I didn't even know you saw Will while you were there!" Jack stood up and began to pace in front of Karen. Before she could even respond, he was already speaking again. "Have you been sleeping with Will?!"

"Jack, let me explain-" Karen began, reaching for his hands to settle him down. He avoided her touch and glared at her.

"Yeah, you'd _better_ explain!" he exploded, his voice almost reaching a pitch only dogs can hear.

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An hour later, Jack was in tears as he lay in Karen's arms, listening to her and Will's love story.

"…and that's when he told me he loved me," she finished, twisting her fingers through Jack's hair as he sobbed onto her chest. She looked up at the ceiling, swallowing back tears herself as she remembered that pivotal moment.

"That is so..beautiful," Jack sputtered, wiping his eyes. He listened to Karen's heartbeat as they laid in silence for a moment - her heart that he now knew was beating for Will and Will only. Karen had explained everything to Jack as best she could - how she felt when she first met him in Grace's office four years ago, how her feelings towards him evolved while on the Islands, how they had ended up in bed together, the problems she was having with Stan, her miscarriage, and she and Will had secretly been battling with their feelings for the past year. She had just given him a detailed account of the events in Paris, up until the night in his hotel room after they had been to Claire's apartment.

"So…what happened?" Jack asked, cocking his head upwards to meet Karen's eyes. She gave him a sad smile before looking back towards the ceiling.

"Then I took a pregnancy test and it was positive." She stated. Jack's breath hitched in his throat.

"But you're not…?" he began, reaching a hand towards her stomach.

"No, I'm not." She smiled to herself as she rested her hand on top of Jack's, thinking of what could have been - what almost _was_.

"So that's why Will stopped talking to you? Because you weren't pregnant?" Jack asked, confused. Karen shook her head.

"No, he was upset with me because after I took the pregnancy test I told him I would leave Stan for him. And when Stan showed up unexpectedly, then at that exact moment I found out I actually_ wasn't_ pregnant, it was too much."

"And you couldn't do it?"

"I couldn't do it. And I hate that I couldn't. As soon as I had appeased Stan, I went over to Will's hotel looking for him to apologize and talk about it, but he had already left."

"So have you talked to him since everything happened between you and Stan? I mean, does he know that you left him?"

"Yeah, I told him the other day in Grace's office. And I told him that I was sorry."

"What'd he say?"

"Nothing, really. I told him that I'd be waiting for him tonight in Central Park, and if he shows up it means I'm forgiven and he wants to pursue this relationship."

"And if he doesn't then what? You pretend like it never happened?"

"Essentially."

"Wow."

"But I don't know, honey. I know Will is a big grudge-holder, and what I did to him was pretty awful. I don't know if it's even worth leaving the manse tonight…he probably won't be there."

"Karen," Jack exclaimed, sitting up and pulling her up with him. "You have to go! What if you don't go and he shows up?"

Karen slumped, looking defeated.

"I don't know, Jack…do you think he'll show?" Jack smiled and took her chin his hand, pulling her face up to meet his eyes.

"Yeah, I do," he told her quietly. Karen frowned. "Kare, I've known Will a long time. And he doesn't throw the L word around recklessly. The only other person he's ever said that to besides Grace was Michael."

"I don't know…"

"And Will may be a grudge-holder, but he's also extremely loyal. If he loves you as much as it sounds like he does, then he won't abandon you. He'll be there."

Karen bit her lip, looking at the clock. 11:33.

"I'm supposed to meet him at midnight."

"Than you better get going!" Jack practically shouted, pulling her up from the couch. She laughed and threw her arms around him, giving him a big hug.

"I'm so glad I have your support, Jackie," she spoke into his ear.

"Karen, I will always throw my support behind anything that makes you happy," he replied, kissing her cheek. "Even if it is disgusting and unnatural."

She laughed and grabbed her coat, throwing one last smile at him before hurrying out the door to find driver and get to Central Park.


	24. Chapter 24

Karen bit her lip as she timidly sat on the edge of the huge fountain in the middle of Central Park. Although it was nearly midnight, there were several people strolling about the cobblestone sidewalks around the fountain, couples mostly. Karen watched, transfixed, as an elderly but sprightly couple, probably in their early 70s, sat together on a bench across the stone lawn from her. The old man whispered something in his wife's ear and she blushed, placing her hand on his. He smiled and they kissed, obviously very much in love. Karen wished she could be so lucky.

The light mist of the spraying fountain tickled the back of her neck; she pulled her scarf tighter and shivered. The knot in her stomach tightened. She tucked a strip of hair behind her ear, pulled out her cell phone to check the time. 12:03. He was three minutes late. Was he even coming? How long should she give him?

She closed her eyes and took deep breaths as she counted her heartbeats. How many beats away was he?

She looked at the screen of her phone; 12:07. A breeze fluttered her scarf, the old couple stood and left the bench. A man with a dog passed several feet in front of Karen, the little white pup stopping to stare at her and cock his head. Karen frowned; did the dog know something she didn't?

12:11. She called her voicemail just to see if maybe he had gotten stuck somewhere, if maybe there would be some explanation. She trembled slightly when the automated voice told her she had one new message, but was disappointed when she heard Jack's voice from earlier in the evening, telling her he was coming over to the manse.

Checking her messages had killed two more minutes. It was now 12:13, and still no Will. Karen sighed. She tried hard not to allow herself to be sad. She had brought it on herself; she had him, they had just begun something more special than any other relationship she had been in, and she had ruined it all. She didn't blame him for no longer trusting in her. She just wished he could understand that really, he could trust her with his life, that's how much she loved him. Karen hadn't seen Will since their meeting in the elevator, and her body ached for him. She needed to feel the warmth of his breath on her cheek, the reassurance of his hands around her waist. But she was beginning to realize that their kiss in the elevator had been their last. 12:17. He wasn't coming.

As she stood from the edge of the fountain, she tossed her cell phone back into her purse. All the people who had been hovering there under the lamplights when she had arrived 20 minutes ago were gone; and she suddenly felt not only disappointed but also slightly uneasy as she realized just how alone she was. Her head down, she threw her purse over her shoulder and huddled into her coat, the bitter November wind stinging her face. She turned to the left, back the way she had come towards 5th Avenue, where she would catch a cab back to the manse. She wondered if she would be able to get one at this time of night on the weekend.

And that's when she heard his voice.

"Karen."

He spoke her name loudly enough for her to hear it, but not loudly enough to disturb the still of the night. She stopped dead in her tracks and shut her eyes, wondering if he was really there or if she had simply imagined his voice.

"I'm here."

Her heart raced as she turned back towards the fountain, as Will stepped towards her out of the shadows. A slight grin played on his lips as their eyes met. Relief and joy washed over Karen as she dropped her purse on the spot and ran into his arms, his lips meeting her hair as she buried her face in the crook of his neck. She breathed in deeply, relishing his scent. She wanted to remember everything about this moment.

Her memory-imprinting was interrupted as he cupped her chin in his hand and brought her mouth to his, for the sweetest-tasting kiss either of them had ever experienced.

"Sorry I'm late," Will whispered into Karen's mouth, smiling mischeviously.

"I thought you weren't coming," she answered, not taking her eyes from his lips, hovering millimeters from hers.

"I'm sorry, Karen," he apologized, kissing her gingerly once again before elaborating. "Explaining this to Grace took longer than I expected."

"You told Grace?" Karen met his eyes this time, and he nodded. The question in her eyes was enough for him to know what she was thinking.

"She was upset at first, but promised to try and stay open-minded. We're going to talk more about it tomorrow," he told her. "The three of us."

"Four," Karen corrected. "I told Jack, too." Will rolled his eyes and scrunched up his face.

"Is he -?"

"He's fine," she answered. He smiled in relief and hugged her closer to him. He turned them back towards 5th Avenue as they slowly walked towards the edge of the park.

"Will, I'm so sorry - for everything," Karen told him as they walked. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry too. I pushed us into this way too fast. I should never have expected you to leave Stan for me like that," Will told her. She rubbed her hand along his spine.

"No, honey, you got the ball rolling on something that I had been putting off for a long time. I'm glad you made me face reality. And my true feelings for you." She kissed his lips.

"Let's just…take things slow this time," Will suggested. They were almost at the exit of the park.

"I like that idea," she agreed. As they reached the street, he hailed them a cab. "But can we start off slow tomorrow?" He looked at her, confused, as a yellow taxi pulled up in front of them. "You're coming home with me tonight."

Will grinned at her and she pulled him into the cab next to her, her hands immediately roaming his chest under his shirt as soon as he had closed the door. His breath was hot on her neck as they made out in the backseat of the cab, like teenagers. When they reached Karen's building after a few short minutes, Will practically threw their cab fare at the driver as Karen pulled him out of the car by his shirt.

In the elevator up to the penthouse, she backed him against the wall, their tongues battling as she bent her knee, running it up the inside of his leg to nudge his throbbing erection. He had four buttons open on her shirt by the time the doors dinged open, the two of them practically falling out of it as Will slammed Karen into the front door, his hands freely kneading her curves as his lips moved towards her cleavage. She giggled as she turned the doorknob and led him up the stairs to the master suite.

Will scooped her up in his arms as they crossed the threshold and swiftly carried her up the three little steps to her bed. He tossed her onto it and positioned himself on top of her, hovering carefully on his forearms as she reached down to undo his belt buckle.

"Karen," he whispered her name urgently, causing her to cease her motions and look at him intently.

"Yes?"

He rubbed his nose against hers and pecked her lips softly before looking into her eyes.

"I love you."

She wrapped her legs around his waist, her skirt riding up and falling loosely next to her hips.

"I love you too, Will."

He pulled her thong from her body and swiftly made their connection complete.

"More than you'll ever know."


	25. Chapter 25

The television was left on in a dark room. Images of happy people danced across its screen, playing for no one in particular. The laughter and squeals of a kindergartener echoed down the hall. The rhythmic ticking of a clock got drowned out by the voices of the people on the old VHS.

"Will! Will! Get me doing the limbo!" The camera panned to the left to reveal a tuxedo-clad Jack shimmying under a horizontal wooden pole. From behind the camera, Will's laughter rang out as Jack fell to the floor just as he was trying to right himself. The raucous crowd of people behind him pointed and laughed as Karen entered the frame, helping him to stand up.

Her dark curls were pinned up beautifully, her off-white, silk wrap dress showing the first hint of a baby bump. After releasing Jack from her grasp and allowing him to brush himself off, she looked at the camera and gave a million-watt smile.

"Time for cake!" she trilled, walking towards the camera as it was handed off to another bystander. Now Will was in the frame, too, as he and Karen stood in front of a three-tiered wedding cake, whispering to each other. Will cut a piece for each of them and they shared a smile. Karen's bawdy laugh drowned out all other noise as she pushed her piece into Will's face, the white icing coating his eyelashes. Will wiped his eyes before Karen, doubled over with laughter, received her own cake-in-the-face. The friends and family that had gathered around them all laughed with them, and Karen dipped a napkin in glass of water to clean up Will's face.

The image cut abruptly to a waving Grace, balancing a red-haired infant on her hip. As she realized the camera was on her, Grace smiled and held up the little girl's hand to wave it towards the camera.

"Wave to daddy!" she instructed. The little girl refused, simply staring blankly at her father, Leo, behind the camera. Grace must've caught his eye and she pointed off to her left. He swung the camera that way, to where a few feet in front of him, Karen and Will were having their first slow dance as husband and wife. The sound of conversation and children's laughter was thick in the air, but Karen and Will appeared to be in their own world. The groom had one arm wrapped tightly around his bride's waist, the other holding her petite hand as they slowly swayed to the music. His cheek was pressed to hers, and she smiled shyly as he whispered in her ear. As the camera zoomed in to their faces, Karen moved her left hand to Will's face, rubbing his cheek with her thumb as she looked into his eyes. Her simple gold wedding band gleamed in the spotlight. The camera tilted down the length of their bodies, lingering momentarily on Karen's slightly bulging stomach pressed against the front of Will's trousers. The image faded to black.

When it faded back up, the cast from the previous scenes were now in a hospital room. Someone's back was blocking three fourths of the camera. After a few seconds, they stepped out of the way to reveal Karen in profile, stretched out on a hospital bed, her brow dripping with sweat as she labored through childbirth. Will was at her opposite side, facing the camera but completely focused on the action between Karen's legs, out of the frame to the right. As Karen pushed, Will squeezing her left hand, the image swung to the right, revealing a smiling Jack, clad in hospital scrubs. He waved enthusiastically to the camera before it swung back towards Karen and Will.

Karen elicited a heavy moan.

"You can do it, Kare," Will encouraged, wiping her forehead with his free hand.

"One more push, Mrs. Truman," said an off-screen voice.

And then, suddenly, the cries of a newborn rang out as Karen let out a sob, throwing her head back onto her pillow. The camera hovered right above them as the baby was placed on Karen's chest for a brief instant before being whisked away to be cleaned off. Karen's smile mixed with her tears as Will leaned down to kiss her. Jack appeared at her other side, blocking the camera briefly before bending down to hug her.

A quick cut to a slightly cleaned-up Karen, holding her tiny new child in her arms as she leaned against the back of the hospital bed. She looked up at the camera and beamed upon hearing her name. A mass of red, curly hair cropped up beside her as Grace wrapped an arm around Karen's shoulders and looked down at the baby. Will's voice was audible from the background.

"Yes, she's fine, mom…we're all fine…7 pounds, 6 ounces…21 inches."

Karen sat in awed silence as her baby grasped her index finger with its tiny hand. Smiley Grace looked up at and spoke to the camera.

"Jack, don't you want to come meet your new godson?"

The room spun 180 degrees as the camera switched hands. Karen handed off the little blue bundle to Jack's waiting arms.

"Wow," he muttered. Will, now off the phone, came to his side and smiled at his best friend and his son. "This is amazing."

"I know," Will replied, taking the baby from Jack's arms. The camera panned back to Karen, who was watching them intently, a peaceful smile playing on her lips.

"How are you feeling, Mommy?" Grace's voice asked from behind the camera. Karen looked at her and raised her eyebrows.

"Tired," she yawned. "Were you this exhausted when you had Laila?"

The camera shook slightly as Grace chuckled.

"Yeah," she answered. "I think you're supposed to be."

Karen shrugged as Will kneeled down next to the bed and placed the baby back in her arms. She kissed Will's mouth as she took their child from him. "Love you," she whispered.

"Love you too."

A light flipped on in the room, joining the soft illumination of the TV screen. Karen scanned the floor and quickly spotted what it was she was looking for. As she bent down to pick up the little toy truck, however, what was showing on the television caught her attention. She balanced herself on the arm of the couch, her eyes glazing over as she relived the moments of her son's birth.

After seven years together with Will, nothing was out of reach anymore. Everything she had ever wanted she now had, with him. Over time, their risky romance had blossomed into a lifelong love affair, and she knew that she had made the best decision of her life by following her heart that week in Paris.

"Karen did you find Ben's truck?"

Will's words pulled her from her thoughts. She nodded, looked at him, smiled. He looked towards the television, and smiled also when he saw what she was watching. As he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her hair, she sighed, content.

"Honey, I was thinking…" Karen began, stroking the top of his hands with her finger tips, "…we should take a vacation next month. You know I still have that villa in the Virgin Islands-it might be a fun place to take Ben."

"I love that idea," Will replied, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

Just then, Ben rushed into the room, and upon seeing his truck in Karen's hand, immediately seized it and squealed with joy. As he pushed the little plastic toy around on the carpet in front of his parents, Will chuckled.

"God, he's been looking for that thing all day. Now he's finally happy."

Karen craned her neck to look at her husband, and once again took his hand in hers.

"I am too, honey. I am too."


End file.
